Birthday Poem

Birthday Poem 

The old girl stirs and rattles her tags

creaking down the stairs

 stiff and slow
 nature calls

 I slip out of the warmth of covers
 reluctantly following
 a pact we
 made
 years ago

 Caught in the wonder of the evening sky
 resplendent with stars
 perfectly aligned
 Above the dark chilled air

 I somnolently ponder
 light-years
 and time
 And how brief our shine here
 as she sniffs at the grass

 I'm thankful for this moment
 Under the swirl of the Milky Way
 more permanent and eternal
 than my old dog and I

 – Barbara Christie-Garvin