One Word To Describe

Usually overlooked by so many

Not often thought of in grander schemes

Caring though they have always been

Only shying away when new or afraid

Not counting, of course, those that are friendly anyway

Don’t forget the startled looks with joy

Innocent for some mischief, but only just

They make each day a treasure

In one way or another

Out of all the things in my life

Not having one at my side has hurt the most

All I could think whenever I cried was how

Long it would be before family was at my side

 

This kind of family is definitely the kind that you choose and then they choose you back, because your love is returned. Animals are loyal and loving and so incredibly exasperating, even more so because all of our communication is very much sign language from two different kinds of language.

I wrote this after a news article on a German Shepherd that had died in the line of duty in protecting his partner of three years. That dog took three bullets to protect his friend and family member. He was honored as all fallen police and military are. When asked to describe his partner, the officer said simply, “Unconditional, that was one word to describe him in everything he did.”

I spent an entire day chasing after pigs that would not stay in their pen, in the goats’ pen or even in our own yard. I walked half the town looking for them time and time and time and time again (yes, four times). Once they were home and it was dark and they finally stopped with their shenanigans (but only because they were wanting to sleep) all I could think of was how grateful I was that they were home and safe. They ran me all over town looking for them (I now know how to track pig tracks…in the snow, because of course it snowed the night before and I had to slog through it all, but at least the youngest kids helping to look (my neighbor’s girls) had snow pants on) and I spent most of the time looking forward to never having to do that ever again. But I find that I couldn’t say anything harsh to them (other than scolding them and laughing at how they must have decided, like an old dog I had as a child, that their humans needed some exercise) once I had them again.

My life would be very poor without the animals we have.

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The Melancholies

She listened as her eldest whispered his secrets to their dog. Rabby was a good listener and she knew that her son loved that dog more than life itself. Or at least it seemed like that lately. He didn’t know that she had come home early that day as she’d left the car at the auto shop to fix a few things and taken the bus before walking the rest of the way home. Without the car in the driveway it was hard to tell whether she was home or not.

Rabby knew that she was home, but the faithful dog had stayed by the backdoor waiting for her son to come home instead of following her to her room where she’d changed out of her work clothes into more casual clothing. She’d just finished pulling on some sneakers rather than the dressy heels she’d spent the morning in when she’d heard the door open and close, the thump of Casey’s backpack hitting the floor and the quiet ‘wumf’ that Rabby always made whenever Casey buried his face in the dog’s stomach.

Normally, she would have called out a hello, letting her son know that she was home, but something had prompted her to be silent instead.

She didn’t know what Casey was telling their family dog, but she could tell that the recent events had affected him more than she had initially thought.

They’d moved recently and she’d known that he had a hard time making friends. Not because he was unlikable or anything like that, no, most of the people that had been his age had been from families that were of a more transitory nature. No matter when they moved in, they were always gone within a year of their initial move in. None of the other families had any children his age save for two and those boys were more interested in running about and causing mischief which Casey had eschewed.

Her other children, either older or younger by several years than Casey, had friends but never many. Casey had seemed fine spending time with his sisters and their friends just fine up until recently with his entrance into middle school. He no longer joined his sisters and their friends of his own initiative and instead stayed behind at times even when he was invited to join.

Casey’s siblings were worried, very worried, but sometimes things just happened like this. Their mother knew this and knew this well and could only hope and pray that her son’s melancholy would pass just as it had for other members of their family in the past.

Whatever troubles came her son’s way, she knew that Rabby would always be waiting for her son to snuggle up to him and give him the unconditional love that can only come from the heart of a loyal dog.

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This was a short sequel to a post I did a while ago for Eclectic Corner #5. My post was No One Knows – Eclectic Corner #5 and it was sad, tugged at my heartstrings and a sequel was asked for, so here’s my attempt at it.

I Don’t Deserve This

How could this happen to me?

I made my mistakes

Got no where to run

The night moves on.

I’m lost and alone and I don’t know who these people are. They are all around me and they seem to know me, but I don’t know them.

I’m lost and alone and I’m afraid at first. These people move around me and close to me in a way that is frightening.

I’m lost and alone, but I’m no longer afraid. There is a young boy who takes me hand and leads me away.

I’m lost, but not alone, because this boy exudes a sense of peace as he sits me down and carefully puts his arms around me. His hug makes me cry, but from nothing but love.

I’m lost, but not alone because I can feel that I am loved. My companion is familiar, but a stranger at the same time.

I’m lost, but not alone and I know I have done nothing to deserve this. Unconditional love given in response to fear melts my heart and fills me with joy.

I’m lost, but not alone because the boy next to me lives what I know. Real family will love you no matter what conditions or problems you have.

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Written for this week’s Trifecta challenge: http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/2013/11/trifecta-week-104.html