Adapted from FOUR FEET
by Rudyard Kipling
1989-2006
Teddy Trotting Ahead
I have done mostly what men do,
And pushed it out of my head;
But I can't forget, if I wanted to,
Teddy trotting ahead.
Day after day, the whole day through--
Wherever my road lead__
Teddy said, 'I am coming with you!'
And trotted along ahead.
Now I must go by some other round--
Which I shall never find--
Some where that does not carry the sound
Of Teddy trotting ahead.
The dogs who've shared our lives,
In subtle ways they let us know
their spirit still survives.
Old habits still make us think
we hear a barking at the door.
Or step back when we drop
a tasty morsel on the floor.
Our feet still go around the place
the food dish used to be,
And, sometime, coming home at night,
we miss them terribly.
And although time may bring new friends
and a new food dish to fill,
That one place in our hearts
belongs to them...
and always will.
---Linda Barnes ---