Get a Dog

I recently rediscovered this that I wrote a couple of years ago while in Scotland at parental home wondering what I was doing there. A friend had just advised if you are on your own get a dog. This mixes thoughts but seemed right about change, transformation and this time:

‘Get a dog'

Keep the dog happy and then your happy,

 no time to worry 

A dog's life is short-

several dogs lives fit into a human life

 so you get to accept the ageing of the loved dog, waning energies and dying 

And how the new pup has some the old dog's traits

 but with younger eager vigour

Dad always wanted a dog  

but Mum was always anti dog;

‘people are so much more interesting’ she said

She raised  5 children

and wanted to capture life in the things she collected,

But now the family is grown and gone just the shells remain;

The books are still on the shelves,

but the age of the book has passed as all things must

The energy has gone out of this household 

It's ok ma,

We carry our poetry within us

It's not been captured and translated into visible things;

Money or books on shelves,

But  though we thank you ma for birthing nurturing and nudging the bud 

be warned you don't know

you may be surprised 

by the way in which we grow