War Dog

I know the sounds of war: They have become so familiar to my ears That they now sound like home. I serve alongside the soldiers— I have a job to do; I live to please. For the people who love and care for me, I’d do anything they ask. So into the sinking, sucking mud I go To find someone who needs my help. Nothing distracts me from my work— Until I am knocked to the ground By an explosion that brings me great pain, And makes it so I cannot move. I’m so desperate to escape, But I’m stuck where I am; forced to give up. Amidst the chaos and danger I am in, I think of my only memory of me as a pup: Of being talked to so gently by a young woman Whilst she rubbed my head and washed my paws. Now, as I close my eyes, I hear her voice and feel her touch— She’s washing my paws again Whilst she sings me into a long, silent sleep.