Shira by Susan Portillo / Mummy

To Shira

We weren’t expecting a puppy,
Yet that afternoon when you came
With Tomás and Thaïs on the motorbike,
We were smitten, and soon chose your name.

The seven of us were so lucky,
Papá, Mummy, Tomás and Andrés,
Gran, Thaïs and Josefa,
For us, you did always your best.

You quickly learned how to roll over,
To shake paws, both the left and the right.
Your ears pricked to the tunes on the mobile,
And you’d sing to us, to our delight.

You had eight adorable puppies,
Blanquita, Chica, Bruno and the rest.
You made such a wonderful mother,
We remember them all, your bequest.

You never were one for complaining,
Never wanting to cause any fuss.
You never were more contented
Than when trying to please all of us.

In some ways you were unusual,
Fixing us with your unblinking stare.
Always needing to be close to someone,
Letting us know you’d always be there.

You never thought of yourself as a doggy,
You just wanted to be one of us!
How you loved your occasional tapas,
In the bar, with Papá, close to us.

Your coat was glossy cinammon,
Graceful legs, stretched out long, where you lay.
In profile you had a lovely snub nose,
A black muzzle, just turning grey.

When hungry, you never whimpered,
Simply sat, with your head on my knee.
When thirsty, you liked to drink straight from the tap,
In the bathroom you’d wait, patiently.

To protect your nearest and dearest,
You would bark, to warn off strangers,
Yet your tail kept wagging constantly,
So they saw you posed no danger.

You were definitely a one-off,
Knew your mind, and let us know it too!
If you decided you didn’t fancy a walk
You sat tight, nothing more could we do!

Your greatest love was your doggy ball,
Times spent chasing it, in Guadalmar.
That’s where now your ashes are scattered,
And our thoughts are wherever you are.

It couldn’t go on any longer,
You were suffering, and so were we,
And so, my beautiful Shira,
We decided to set you free.

You musy know how much we all loved you,
How we miss you, more than words can say….
But now, we imagine you happy,
Chasing balls, in the sun, every day.

 

In our hearts forever,