Heidi by Katie Williams / Katie

You were with me from the start.
You are always in my heart.
As you walked out of that place, cheating death,
I was too young to remember one day
you’d draw one final breath.

You were young and had the speed of light,
And sometimes you would run till out of sight.
But always, you’d come home to me.
I knew you’d never leave our family.

And so the years passed, faster than I knew,
You and I, together, grew.
There were days of romping in the snow,
And when you reached your prime, it was me you would tow.

Pulling that sled across the cold frost,
Sometimes straying from the home, but never ever lost,
And while we both got older, you began to slow down.
Yet, never too cranky to wear an ugly frown.

A friend was brought in, and you trained him well
With your rough housing and snarls, he easily fell.
But he grew up to be a wonderful dog and friend,
Just as you always have been.

Then you hit your only golden year,
and how much love you did show.
Even as you showed your suffering, there was still a glow,
But one day, the pain was greater than the joys of life,
And I knew it was time to end your strife.

It was peaceful, yes, I remember it well
Of my sorrow, to you, I didn’t tell.
The needle slipped in, and then you slipped away,
And you rest under the apple tree to this day.

Months later, I still weep to think of your death,
But then I always remember you are now at your best.
You are there with your mother,
and both my grandfathers, too,
But until we reunite once more, I love you.

 

With all of my love,