a definition of us

Poem #15 from: Memoir of a Dog

Back to Memoir of a Dog – Introduction

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time changes everything

we have sold the property at daylesford
our vigour
once unflagging
has dissipated in the demanding whirl
of jobs and pressure
stress and weariness

the days dissolve
between one struggle and the next
while we insulate ourselves
to ensure survival

these times are the busiest of our lives
and we are daily challenged
to meet demands
never before encountered
to master them

and despite success
the stealthy creep of alone-ness
makes its presence half-felt
in a crowd of fellow workers
with friends at frenetic after-work parties
on friday nights
around the dinner table at home
when there are four conversations
happening at once
and no-one listening
except the dog
ever hopeful that someone will break the rules
to feed him a tid-bit
beneath the table

in these days we are each comforted
by the constancy and loyalty
the intelligence in his eyes and the open smile
that’s always there for us on the big poodle’s face

sometimes he seems the only thing
we all have in common
that we all love without restraint
the part of our family
that binds us together

hard to imagine
how we would cope
if he weren’t with us

hard to imagine
us

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© Frank Prem 2009

Memoir of a Dog Poem 16: the dark side of goodnight