Dog Stories, Prose And Poetry

Old dogs, war dogs, puppies or strays,

Poetry has power to brighten our days.

Where to Bury A Dog?

Ben Hur Lampman - 1925

Beneath a cherry tree, where, in its proper season

The cherry strews petals on the green lawn of his grave,

Or beneath any flowering shrub.

Beneath such a tree or shrub he slept, or lifted his head to challenge some intruder.

These are good places, in life or in death.

Yet it is a small matter,

For if the dog be well-remembered,

If sometimes he leaps through your dreams, actual as in life,

Eyes kindling, laughing, begging,

It matters not at all where that dog sleeps.

On a hill where the wind blows, the trees roaring,

Or beside a stream he knew in puppy hood,

Or in the flatness of a pasture lane where cattle grazed,

Is all one to the dog,

And all one to you.

Nothing is gained and nothing is lost if memory lives.

But… there is a place to bury a dog.

If you bury him in this spot he will come to you when you call;

Come to you over the grim, dim frontiers of death,

And down the well-remembered path to your side again.

Another dog will not resent his coming, for he belongs there.

People may scoff at you who see no slightest blade of grass bent by his fall,

Who hear no whimper;

People who never really loved a dog.

Smile at them, for you shall know something that is hidden from them,

Something well worth the knowing…

The one best place to bury a dog is in the heart of his master.

Brought to you by the NetPlaces Network

ii NetPlacesNetwork ~ ii Health Disclaimer