Dogs have a sense beyond our ken –
At least my little Trixie had:
Tail-wagging when I laughed, and when
I sighed, eyes luminously sad.
And if I planned to go away,
She’d know, oh, days and days before:
Aye, dogs I think are sometimes fey,
They seem to sense our fate in store.
Now take the case of old Tome Low;
With flowers each week he’d call on me.
Dear Trixie used to love him so,
With joyous jump upon his knee.
Yet when he wandered in one day,
Her hair grew sudden stark with dread;
She growled, she howled, she ran away . . .
Well, ten hours later Tom was dead.
Aye, dogs hear sounds we cannot hear,
And dogs see sights we cannot see;
And that is why I took the fear
That one day she would glare at me
As if a Shape cowered on my bead,
And with each hair on end she’d creep
Beneath the couch and whine with dread . . .
And so I’ve had her put to sleep.
Now Trixie’s gone, the only one
Who loved me in my lonely life,
And here I wait, my race nigh run,
My ill too grievous for the knife.
My hand of ice she’ll never lick,
My heedless mask she’ll never see:
No heartbreak – just a needle prick. . . .
Oh, Doctor, do the same for me!
(Robert William Service)
More Poetry from Robert William Service:
Robert William Service Poems based on Topics: Life, Sadness, Sense & Perception, Fear, Sleep, Dogs, Running- Fighting Mac (Robert William Service Poems)
- If You Had The Choice Of Two Women To Wed (Robert William Service Poems)
- (The sunshine seeks my little room) (Robert William Service Poems)
- White-Collar Spaniard (Robert William Service Poems)
- The Song Of The Pacifist (Robert William Service Poems)
- The Gramaphone At Fond-Du-Lac (Robert William Service Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Life Poems, Sadness Poems, Sense & Perception Poems, Sleep Poems, Fear Poems, Running Poems, Dogs PoemsBased on Keywords: cowered, heartbreak, tome, growled, fey, luminously, trixie