Genessee

Seven a.m.
Wake up to snow
Lay back down
School's not a go
Heavy lids
A tired mind
Catching sleep
That fell behind
Tires crunch
Dad's plow goes by
A sudden thump
A high-pitched cry
Sit straight up
Leap out of bed
To the window
Filled with dread
Another scream
That one was me
Not her, not her
My Genessee
No, no, no, no
Panic and fear
Her yipes, her yelps
I'm coming, I'm here
Hold on, poor baby
I know it hurts
Her breathing strained
Breath coming in spurts
She was so good
She'd done no wrong
Why her, why now
She's been so strong
Her ribs are broken
Every one
She howls and howls
We know she's done
Half-deaf, half-blind
And now can't walk
She's quieted down
We're all in shock
Dad tries to move her
She doesn't budge
She's standing, now walking
Nudge by nudge
Amazed and happy
But cold and afraid
She stumbles and limps
Not a sound has she made
Turning in circles
Around and around
She can't bend her legs
She falls to the ground
The accident
Of Thursday morning
My life has changed
The snow keeps soaring
She's moaning now
We all cry harder
The tears haven't stopped
Since he shut off the starter
She looks up at us
Expectantly
Like "why do you wait?
Come here and fix me"
It hurts to look back
To see pain in her eye
She just doesn't know
That dogs, too, can die
She started to get it
To realize, to feel
The weight of the truth
As she ate her last meal
And when she had finished
Had swallowed and sniffed
She tried to get up
To walk, to lift
This gave her pain
And again with the crying
Tears sprang anew
She's suffering, she's dying
Genessee, so sweet
You were so good to us
Always there, always fair
So gentle when you fuss
And there you lie
Crumpled, broken
We say our goodbyes
Silently spoken
The pills kick in
Her lids are heavy
Still saying goodbye
But, no, we're not ready
She's fighting the pills
To stay awake
To stay with us
To survive her mistake
No going back
No trying again
Only memories
Of right now and then
So go to sleep
My Genessee
Ease all your pain
Release, be free
The time is now
We walk away
The hole is dug
She cannot stay
Stricken with grief
Emotions askew
Waiting for it
Nothing to do
Silence, and silence
Then bang, bang, bang, bang
Her heart beats no longer
The bullets have sang