Old Lady Puppy

Nested and resting in blankets that smell like the people she loves

Our old lady pup is a reliable lovebug

She knows our rhythms and we know hers

She knows how to nest with us and our home every which way
Laying out across the long sofa, she spoons herself against a chest
Lounging with a laptop, she presses her side against our legs
Sitting at the dinner table, she curls around feet

She will settle in for hours, contented and calm

She still has a pep in her step at breakfast
She still jumps up twice her height to get on the bed
She still picks up a dog toy and brings it to me

And yet. . .
Our Old Lady Pup is 98 in people years
Her graying hair shows her age
Her energy spurts are fewer and farther between
Her toy play is for only minutes before resting

When her breathing is subtle

Her sleeping form so very still

I rest my hand across soft fluffy fur

I use that special side stroke

The one I know because she has lived
13 years of her life entwined with mine

The one that will cause her to lift her front paw

She will ask me to pet her belly instead of her side
She won’t make a sound or look at me
I will simply know what I am supposed to do

She is my Old Lady Puppy
I am her Human

We can communicate
Without language
Without sound

I will release the breadth I was holding without realizing
I will give her a bit of extra love before I settle in for sleep

She is my Old Lady Puppy
I am her Human

270 Days to go
#OTR50

Note: the photos are mine, this prompt is only for me.
© Randi Sumner