Fargo

The first time we saw her I said no at first
Her paws were so big on her little body
And I knew that like my own large feet and long fingers
This was a sign that she would go from small and cute
To very large, very quickly
But it was too late; my sister had already picked out where she would sleep
And my brother already had a dozen names picked out
Not caring that none of them where girl names
Her brown eyes and her little floppy ears
Her tail like a helicopters blade;
Round and round in circles, not right to left like most dogs.
She won us over within 5 minutes
Despite all the times her tail whacked into someone’s leg like a fur covered whip
We took her home that very day
I was right, by and by she grew
We got her in the summer when I returned for Christmas
She almost knocked me over when she jumped up to greet me
Well it’s too late now
She is a part of our family, fixed in with extra strength glue
Sometimes I wonder what she dreams
She turns over in her sleep
Whimpers, and even moves her paws like running
Though I doubt she is chasing rabbits
She has never seen a real one after all
She is long and slender, and is a gazelle when she jumps
But transforms into a fly when she hits the ground
Impossible to catch or to keep in the yard
When she runs count yourself lucky if you catch a glimpse of a paw or tail
But when still she disappears from sight all together
Her caramel-coffee fur blending perfectly with the rocks of our yard
No. Her yard.
She owns that yard, make no mistake
Now if only we could get the squirrels to understand that