Gold star to another member of my poetry class! Don't forget, I'm always taking submissions for Friday Love Poems, any and all forms of love are welcome.
Love Poem to my Ollie
by Zipora Schulz, July 9, 2015
I knew I was in love
the minute I saw him cross that busy street in Brooklyn.
Unafraid, waddling, a shining aura around his little round body.
The cars shot around him, both ways. No one stopped.
•••
He crossed over and beelined it to me, miraculously unscathed.
He stood on his back legs and
I swear
gave me a “High Five”.
I looked around, thinking there was some sort of mistake.
Why me?
What was I to do?
He was young, he was soft, he was yellow-tan
His ears flopped as he moved his head
He licked every finger on my hands.
What was I to do?
You know what they say: (was it Goethe?)
that when the purpose is clear (I’m paraphrasing)
all the doors will open?
The purpose became clear that, although I didn’t need another dog,
I had been chosen by this one.
•••
Folks came out of the woodwork to help.
One person brought some string to tie around his neck.
One person brought a cup of water for him to lap up.
One person hugged me because they said he had been tied up and left outside
in all kinds of weather by the garage down the street
sometimes without water for the last few months.
They asked if I was going to return him (my little escapee).
Why would I return him to that, I said. I was already in love.
I looked and saw he had long outgrown his metal-linked collar.
It dug into his soft neck like a vice. No one thought to upgrade him as he grew.
•••
I called him Ollie, after Oliver Twist:
the orphan who makes good by simply asking for “More”.
By escaping his fate and finding me on a busy street, Ollie asked me for more.
I gave that to him for fifteen years with complete devotion and heart.
And he returned the favor.
My soul-mate dog-friend, my furry son.
I can still feel the outline of his perfect ears and the texture of his snubby nose,
although he passed six years ago.
Love? Yes, the truest of loves, my friend.
Thanks, Jane, for publishing this poem about my wonderful Ollie..... it truly makes me smile to see this! :) He was a best friend.
ReplyDeleteReally beautiful and touching. Even thou I only knew Ollie for a few short years; I feel you captured your relationship and his spirit.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gary! You knew him for almost 14 years, most of his life--- sad that our dog-friends don't get to live as long as some of our human-friends and yet their lives and bonds are as meaningful and powerful.
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