I wrote this poem for AJ Strata when his Dog passed away in 2006
Today, my beautiful Labrador Retriever is gone
We are all, only temporary
Dogs are here to help us through
The joy explodes from off the couch
My bitter day assuaged
Though I am torn with worldly pain
My puppy's heart is gay
And like the Savior of our souls
Wicks off the mantle coarse
My dog loves me as He who came
With all its heart and force
But as the passing days wheel on
And to the earth returned
The collar and the bowl remain
And lesson hard is learned
It's for ourselves alone we mourn
For we are left behind
Until the ones that left us here
Return in Glorious kind
