Ask What Kind Of life I Lived.

By Mandy Gutsell

Mandy shares her Third poem.

Please don’t ask me how old I was,

Ask what kind of life I lived.

Ask what her favourite memories are,

Or the kind of mischief I got up to…….

Like learning how to open the washing machine door.

And the love and joy of digging holes,

Much to the dismay of my owner.

Maybe you would like to know how many ‘silent tears’ I have witnessed.

Or the expletives she made under her breath.

She could be funny at times,

Suddenly laughing out loud raucously.

She was also very strict at times.

I wasn’t allowed on the settee or upstairs,

And I wasn’t allowed too many fatty foods.

I know she thought it was for the best,

And she was looking after my health…..

But what she didn’t know was there were times when he would sneak me meat,

Or pork pie from his lunch box.

Or more butter and jam on the crumpets than I was allowed.

He was a pushover unlike her.

She never missed a trick,

Well, most of the time!

Don’t ask how old I was,

Ask me about what it was like when Jake was alive.

He was like my knight in shining armour,

My big brother of a role model.

He showed me how to dig the most amazing big holes.

Once we dug that much, I thought we might nearly escape into the neighbour’s garden…..

But she always found out where we had dug eventually.

Even if we tried to hide the evidence,

Or do it behind bushes, trees or undergrowth.

And when she did you could hear her muttering in a very annoyed way.

She would come out with a big broom, to try and put the soil back into the holes.

And sometimes she thought she was being clever by blocking the holes,

With all sorts of paraphernalia.

Chairs, boxes, tables, wood, anything that could be wrecked.

But eventually we would find a way in.

Or go and find another hole to dig.

We certainly kept her on her toes.

But it was nice having Jake for company,

We used to playfight a lot together.

And swap food sometimes.

We also lay next to each other,

Even though we had separate beds.

I did miss Jake a lot when he first went.

But I knew he was very grumpy and not happy in the end.

So even though it was sad,

I felt a bit of relief at the same time.

Peace and quiet.

The place all to myself.

To relax and lie out in the sunshine.

To be able to lie on any of the beds.

Or eat from any of the bowls, and not have my head being snapped off.

So, I missed him, but I did also enjoy the peace and quiet.

And now…..

And now I am in another place far away,

Where we go when we have become tired or ill.

When our time to bring our life lessons to our owners are at its end.

When my purpose for my owner has done its job.

When I have lived a good enough life,

And know my time has come to a close.

And I know she will miss me terribly,

But don’t be upset for too long.

Focus on the amazing life I lived.

The memories you helped me create.

The kind of amazing life you gave me.

And all the love, time and effort you put in.

It was worth it.

You were worth it,

And now our Chapter has come to a close.