My Pet Poems, Lou
My Pet Poems, Lou
The rains had begun pelting New Orleans.
The warnings were dire. An insurrection
Of weather on the Gulf coast was coming, urging
Everyone to escape to higher ground. That
Meant everyone! Katrina’s on the way!
The highways were halted, bumper to bumper,
While no other plans were coming! Where, oh,
Where is higher ground along the coast?
Lou came on the all-night drive with his family
To Lexington, where Woody had died
And Barkley needed a friend; we called our vet,
Seeking a beagle puppy. He called us next day.
He knew a dog named Lou, who needed a home.
So, Jim went to see the sweet boy, who
Was actually an English Foxhound, very
Like a beagle, but 20 pounds more and
Twice the height, and whose family had come
— now homeless — from now-drowned
New Orleans, leaving behind the Japanese eatery
They owned, but now infringing their escape
On friends, which meant their dear Lou,. too,
Needed a new life’s place.
We became it. Lou, I always thought, became
Our gentle giant (compared to our cockers),
Taking to Jim, who exchanged whispers with him.
Big boy though he was, everything about him was
Soft, from the way he placed his paws when walking,
To his lying patiently on the bed between us,
To the way he tilted his head when
His name was said. I cannot recall
Him barking or charging or begging.
He would receive as each hour brought him...
His life, so he seemed, had become
A patient resolution, plus a pleasant one, where
He gave happy loyalty and endearment
For our love; saved from flood, destitution,
And a New Orleans life feeling
Lost in a midst of starting all over.
He gifted us, in return, the constant peace
Of feeling found and accepted.
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(c) sally Young eslinger 1/9/2021
Thanks be to God
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