Remembering Speck and All the Love Bugs

Remembering Speck and All the Love Bugs ©
Gary Shulman, MS. Ed.
July 23, 2023

Although countless years have now traversed
My very well seasoned brain
And vintage sage I now may be
Speck’s death still evokes great pain 
So let us remember and I hope you’ll agree
Beloved pets that blessed days gone by
Precious branches of our family tree
Their memories still make us cry
Know that their legacies of love remain
Getting us through a tumultuous time  
Helping to conquer bouts of emotional pain
When life makes no sense no reason nor rhyme
When from cancer sweet Speck was sadly taken  
From this fragile tenuous corporeal life 
My father’s blood pressure shot right up
A deep pain that cut like a burning knife
For losing his friend his loving pup
Was a tragic and horrific trauma
For in our chaotic but caring household
Dear Speck was always fun-filled drama
I fondly remember liver and stuffed derma
Mom would make Speck each and every day 
Not the healthiest dish we thought for a dog
We repeatedly had to say
But oh how Speck would slurp it down
With pure unadulterated glee
Mom wouldn’t give that delicious food
To dad or even chubby me!
On the couch my mom would then calmly sit
To have a deep and meaningful talk 
With her since departed grandpa
And Speck would just sit there and not even balk
She thought that Speck was reincarnated gramps
Well who were we to judge?
So we’d just laugh and giggle with glee
While Speck would just listen and not budge
Now Speck somehow knew when illness was present 
And chose to sleep with the sick family member
This I clearly recollect even now
Those memories glow brightly as a shining hot ember 
Then toward the end with tumor rapidly growing
Making life filled with ever-increasing pain
Until bladder no longer functioned
So Speck would then use the basement drain!
Nobody showed him what to do!
No human taught him that trick
Somehow he intuitively figured it out
Even though he was so very sick
He went to the doctor with tumor still growing
One sad and fateful dark day
Shockingly to never ever return
There was nothing they could do nor attempt to say
Of course such tragedy deeply takes its toll
On grieving loved ones left behind
But with love and warm wonderful memories  
They exist firmly planted in our mind
So please take the time to celebrate
Help keep their spirits alive
Remember those days of the pets we loved
So their life-forces shall forever survive!