Teenie by Ben Rasnic

being the runt of the litter,
seemed an appropriate name
for the family dog.

Mornings walking to grade school,
Teenie would follow faithfully
In that familiar crooked gait
despite our most adamant protestations

& when the afternoon bell rang
she would be there
patiently waiting
to escort us home again;

patrolled our bungalow porch
like a loyal foot soldier, the
welcome mat her bivouac,
dreaming of cars to chase, buried
skeletal remains, unfamiliar butts
to sniff;

In summers would hang
with the neighborhood strays
in a world without leashes, exploring
new and familiar territories

as documented
by nine litters
of multi-colored pups;

survived 126 dog years
until under cover of darkness
my father accidentally backed the car
across her sleeping frame

her lifeless, mange ridden carcass
exhaling a free spirit to roam
in a heaven for animals,
in a world without fences,

chasing hologram automobiles
in a world without pain & suffering;
without hunger or cold.

And when the final bell tolls for me
I know she will once again
be waiting
this time at the crossroads,

to guide me
into a new light,

where ultimately
we must travel
our pre-destined pathways.



Ben Rasnic currently resides in Bowie, Maryland. Author of four published collections (three available from amazon.com), Ben's poems have been nominated for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize.