Sweet Daphne

I sing unto you,

lullabies of Loretta Lynn,

and watch you drift into dreams,

while thinking of him.

 

You wake me early,

for a tad of fresh air,

right after I’ve fallen to sleep,

I close the door and you linger there.

 

You stare at my plate full of food,

and wonder why you look different than me,

why we drop food bits if only in the mood.

Yet you hate the diet we give you.

 

“Please do not leave,”

“Come with me to play,”

“I love you,”

This is what you say.

 

I’ll miss you when you’re gone,

for your memory will loom,

and I’m already crying,

as your tail slips through the door and

my friend leaves the room.

 —

Published in the 2014 Mid Rivers Review Magazine of St. Charles Community College