an injured leg
a vicious break
then the inevitable steps
a vet must take

adrenaline runs wild
with anguish and stress
their only relief
is in her caress

a needle takes away his pain
as uncertainty grows in wild eyes
then a final, fatal injection
Fuzzy’s strong heartbeat dies

two hearts lay broken
in the dust on the ground
after a raging storm
tears rain down
on Fuzzy’s neck
still warm

how she will miss him
and the sweet love they shared
their burdens and joys
how deeply she cared

there are hoofbeats in heaven
where Fuzzy runs free
down here a dark empty stall
a snip of mane and a memory

our herd is diminished
as sweet Fuzzy dies
his life sanctified
by the tears in her eyes

© Copyright 2020  Brooks Bradbury / BrooksLooks / All Rights Reserved

i re-rēad your poems
at the end of my life
the ones you wrote at
the beginning of yours

at a tender age
you learned too well
about violence, evil and
the upheaval of world wars

your poems speak of death
as you knew it first-hand
your search for sanctuary
in war-torn land

i rēad your reminders
of how we must live
how much we have
how we must give

[i seek your wisdom
in hints you’d intersperse
as a grandson interprets his
grandfather’s verse]

© Copyright 2020  Brooks Bradbury / BrooksLooks / All Rights Reserved