To a sleeping dog

I remember the puppy you used to be,

The rascal who with whiskered glee

Chewed up rugs and legs of tables,

Shoes and books and telephone cables,

Sleep, my good friend, sleep.

 

I remember the cat that boxed your ears,

And the grudge you’ve carried all these years,

And the woes you’ve had with fleas and ticks,

And you never could learn the simplest tricks,

Sleep, my good friend, sleep.

 

I remember one when I was ill

You lay beside me very still,

You scarcely breathed, you never slept,

A tireless, faithful watch you kept,

Sleep, my good friend, sleep.

 

When human cares have troubled me

You’ve laid your paw upon my knee.

Your eyes have said in some strange way

What spoken words could never say,

Sleep, my good friend sleep.

 

We’ve had some happy times, we two,

We’ll have some more before we’re through,

We’ve hole to dig and bugs to stalk,

And new, exciting roads to walk,

Wake, my good friend, wake.

 

(Author unknown)