Loyal to the Last

(“Loyalty Merit Badge”, 2010, original oil) Loyal to the Last In a dream I travel Some journey of unknown length or destination. It’s all good at the start And then quickly becomes harder A stalled engine, dirty windshield without fluid, A narrowing road, reduced visibility, A rocky mountain track where I’m forced To carry the bicycle My vehicle has become. But as I go on and deeper into my solo trek I still have my trusting pack of dogs Who eagerly follow Even as the trail becomes a narrowing ledge Above the steep drop to a river below Until eventually it’s all I can do to hang on As I reach on tenuous holds to the final step My bike and canine companions abandoned Behind the last bend. Dreams if nothing else Give us snap shots of our mind Overviews and magnifications of where we are In a life’s journey that has included Both the dreamer and his ever morphing dream. But in the end the dream ends And all that’s left is the dreamer And the memory of those companions Loyal to the last. (11/8/24)