A little dog angel

High up in the courts of heaven today

A little dog angel waits;

With the other angels he will not play,

But he sits alone at the gates.

For I know my master will come, says he,

And when he comes he will call for me.

 

The other angels pass him by

As they hurry towards the throne,

And he watches them with a wistful eye

As he sits at the gates alone.

But I know if I just wait patiently

That someday my master will call for me.

 

And his master, down on the earth below,

As he sits in his easy chair,

Forgets sometimes, and whispers low

To the dog, who is not there.

And the little dog angel cocks his ears,

And dreams that his master's voice he hears.

 

And when at last his master waits

Outside in the dark and cold,

For the hand of death to open the door,

That leads to those courts of gold,

He will hear a sound through the gathering dark,

A little dog angel's bark.

 

(Norah Mary Holland (1876-1925))