The Right Time
A Poem from Cosmo
It was sudden,
In a few weeks,
My paws went numb,
And then my legs.
-
I dragged my knuckles over crackled pavements,
Trying to walk with you as always,
But I stumbled, yelped, and cried in such pain,
It made you cry - "Please make it," you begged.
-
No longer a happy word – my name,
Or even an angry one,
Just spoken in wailing whispers.
“Is this the right time?”
-
A big man hauled me onto a metal table,
It smelled of disinfectant and medications,
A sharp needle sunk into my front leg – slow and soft,
I fell asleep quickly, a blissful darkness.
-
"Please make it," you begged.
Waking up hurt – right down to my toes,
The man had done something big,
My neck shaved bottom and top,
How strange…
-
New pills, new diet, new body,
So many changes in this new life,
You keep making me do weird exercises,
How strange...
-
My neck stopped hurting one day,
And my toes felt so good against the grass,
I stop dragging my paws and start to bounce,
My name is a happy one again.
-
"You made it!"
A/N: So, my family dog had major spinal surgery! I have to admit, that was not on my 2023 bingo card but there we are. Cosmo is doing better than well - no complications, pain-free and recovering brilliantly!
Honestly, it is more of a job to keep him calm and make sure he doesn't hurt himself. Since he got his legs back, he's been wanting to use them to run, jump, climb, slide and everything else he isn't supposed to do for 4 more weeks!
There's no word that can describe what it's like to believe your dog is dying only to have him recover so well, but this short freeform poem goes some way to expressing my feelings and gratitude.
-TWW
P.S: He had a steak for being a good boy.
P.P.S: It may have been two steaks...
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More stories from ThatWriterWoman and writers in Poets and other communities.
Spilled is not Spoiled
A/N: This piece was written for Real Poetic's Spilt Milk Challenge which was outlined as follows: In this challenge, explore the theme “Spilt Milk.” Gather your emotions, thoughts, and imagery into a poem related to letting go of things, past experiences, or people. Enjoy!
By ThatWriterWoman9 months ago in Poets
The Longest Minute
A minute. Sixty seconds to say goodbye. That’s all the time that I had left with him as the needle slid into his leg. I stared into his drooping eyes, looked at the blood-tainted saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth. They said that this was the best thing that we could do for him, a last kind act for a best friend…but if that were the case, then why did my heart feel so heavy?
By Stephanie Hoogstad6 days ago in Fiction
Comments (22)
Ooh, what a relief! Was not expecting such a happy ending!
Back to say congrats on Top Story!
The repetition of the "How strange..." made me tear up. Your baby had no idea what was going on, and noticed your odd behavior. Animals are so observant in that regard. I'm glad your fur baby pulled through. I was anticipating this to be a sad poem, and I didn't know if my heart could take it because my family dog just died last week, but Cosmo proved to be a strong boy. <3 I'm so grateful you don't have to experience the pain of losing him.
first ot all, congratulations on your TS status ... Now .... omg, what a beautiful story and so well written. You had my heart in my mouth and tears in my eyes thinking the worst when you mentioned the "needle". But boy! was I relieved to hear that Cosmo is alive and well and better than ever. Thank you for writing such a beautiful - AND inspirational story. Makes me believe that there is always hope for us. Again, BRAVO
Amazing job! Keep up the outstanding work—congrats!
Congrats on top story!
Congrats on top story!! Sending lots of love💖💖
I’m very happy to hear he’s doing well. Such a cute dog! 💖
That is not how I expected the story to end, but I'm delighted to be wrong. Wonderful piece. Congrats on the TS.
I was worried about where you were heading...
You made me cry, I was so certain it was going to be bad news…and then I cried again from happiness because it wasn’t! I’m so happy that your doggo made it, and this was such a sweet way to share that news. Great job!
WHAT A GOOD BOY
Well, you drew me right in and I was prepared to have my heart crushed. What a relief to find that Cosmo is still with you and pain-free!
I'm sobbing like an idiot.I thought at first it wasn't going to go so well and then....What a gorgeous, beautiful sou;. Give him all the steaks!
Oh, Cosmo! So happy you made it!
GOOD WORK PLEASE CHECK MY PROFILE ALSO
So happy to hear he is recovering ❤️ Your poem was heartfelt ❤️
Such a heartfelt story
I'm happy to hear that Cosmo's well! I loved your poem, it's so touching!🥰
So happy Cosmo's name is happy again. Such a heartfelt poem. I thought of every trip to the vets when I was worried about my pets. Thank you for sharing this with us.
So happy that Cosmo has made a full recovery! And such a lovely poem you put together to show him some love! You were so missed here on Vocal! Welcome back. 💕
Aw! Glad to hear Cosmos is doing well! Was concerned when you were not publishing anything for so long. He looks very happy and damn straight, two steaks - he deserves it! Loved your poem. Loved how it progressed and shared his journey and your journey with us! Good to see you pop in my notifications too!