My Pet Poems, Lou

My Pet Poems, Lou The rains had begun pelting New Orleans. The warnings were dire. An insurrection Of weather on the Gulf coast was coming, urging Everyone to escape to higher ground. That Meant everyone! Katrina’s on the way! The highways were halted, bumper to bumper, While no other plans were coming! Where, oh, Where is higher ground along the coast? Lou came on the all-night drive with his family To Lexington, where Woody had died And Barkley needed a friend; we called our vet, Seeking a beagle puppy. He called us next day. He knew a dog named Lou, who needed a home. So, Jim went to see the sweet boy, who Was actually an English Foxhound, very Like a beagle, but 20 pounds more and Twice the height, and whose family had come — now homeless — from now-drowned New Orleans, leaving behind the Japanese eatery They owned, but now infringing their escape On friends, which meant their dear Lou,. too, Needed a new life’s place. We became it. Lou, I always thought, became Our gentle giant (compared to our cockers), Taking to Jim, who exchanged whispers with him. Big boy though he was, everything about him was Soft, from the way he placed his paws when walking, To his lying patiently on the bed between us, To the way he tilted his head when His name was said. I cannot recall Him barking or charging or begging. He would receive as each hour brought him... His life, so he seemed, had become A patient resolution, plus a pleasant one, where He gave happy loyalty and endearment For our love; saved from flood, destitution, And a New Orleans life feeling Lost in a midst of starting all over. He gifted us, in return, the constant peace Of feeling found and accepted. *********. ***********. *********** (c) sally Young eslinger 1/9/2021 Thanks be to God