Day eleven of the Poem a Day Challenge. Prompt: The Last _________
THE LAST PETS
A day comes when you realize
you have the last pets you will ever have
you remember what happened
to other people's pets
like Bowillie the cat
who'd crouched loyally
under old Charles' death bed
all the long days and nights
the day old Charles went
out like a gas light
he pet the covers
thinking they were Bo
good ole Bo he said
in his fevered death-dream
good ole Bo
the oldest stepson took Bo
for the long trek home to Florida
conveniently lost him along the way
Bo whom old Charles had
fed the tenderest food in the mornings
and then let out to play
stroked his fur with soft sponges
the day comes and you realize
that you're going to have to be satisfied
with the birds in the yard
the groundhogs in the field
the dying baby rabbit that some stray
has dragged onto the porch
Theresa, this is so powerful. Perhaps because I get so attached to pets, I almost cried when I read this part: "the oldest stepson took Bo // for the long trek home to Florida / conveniently lost him along the way".
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