Bella Prayer

May you be given a love like hers, a true prayer...

read or listen;

Warm, dust-filled
licorice fur
brushes me
as we nuzzle.

A dog's face is an open prayer,
a glance into bottomless love.

Adventure wishes,
muddied leaps off embankments,
tongue flapping joy,
all in this easy being.

Bella of the tall grass,
Bella of the first hot winds of Summer,
Bella of the knowing nose.

Her spirit joins me
as I run the old trails
we used to wander with the kids,
trotting on paws too small for her heft,
but sure,
and happy with her pack,
making trouble if we couldn’t find it.

She was our holy person,
a sainted guide walking us through our days,
showing us who we really were.

Bella blessing us with tongue
Bella blessing us with asking,
Bella blessing us with switch-tail.

May you be given a love like hers,
a true prayer
of teeth and fur
and forever delight.