A Forever Bestest Friend by Ivy Devine

Joey held to the bars on the cage, and a puppy licked his finger.

I could see his wanton look, and I knew we shouldn’t linger.

As we walked out he looked up at me; his hand held mine real tight.

His words were slow and incorrect, but he tried to say it right.

“I need a forever bestest friend.” His voice of three did plead.

“Of all the things in this whole world. It’s a puppy, what I need.”

“Some day you’ll get one. When you’re grown. Until then, let’s wait and see.”

He tried his best, for a while, not to bother me.

We made it through the next few years. The holidays came and went.

But his dreams of owning a puppy never did relent.

When he was six he came to me to show a picture he drew.

It was a puppy with a smile, and he was colored blue.

“I’m almost grown.” Joey said. ” And I need a dog real bad.

If Santa doesn’t bring me one, I know I will be sad.”

He wrote a letter to Saint Nick and at night on his knees he’d pray.

Not just once, but every night; this is what he’d say.

“God bless my mom. God bless my dad. Please listen to my plea.

I need a puppy Christmas day, to become a friend to me.”

On Christmas day Santa came with packages galore.

But none of them held a puppy, so Joey checked for more.

He tried real hard to laugh and play with cars and trucks and a game.

But it was hard to hold back tears when his puppy never came.

At bedtime Joey hugged his dad’s neck and kissed me on the cheek.

Then I told him I’d heard a noise. Maybe he should take a peek.

On the steps in a wooden crate a puppy barked. “I’m here !”

Then he licked the cheeks of a happy boy and tasted salty tears.

Joey’s grown since he got that pup, and Blue is almost four.

When Joey leaves to go to school. Blue waits by the kitchen door.

When he hears the bus at four o’clock he barks and spins with glee.

He becomes that puppy Joey had to have, when he was only three.

A forever bestest bestest friend for Joey… and a bestest friend for me.

Vickie Ingalls is a Southern Belle who writes, draws and paints equally well.  Vickie is looking forward to retirement from work outside her home.  With more time to indulge in her many talents, she will also be enjoying the company of her husband and a pet or two.  She has always been surrounded by animals and as a young woman, she excelled in training her first horse to perform a myriad of tricks. At one time, Vickie owned chickens, guinea pigs, rabbits, a miniature and several regular-sized horses, a donkey, and more dogs and cats than she can remember. Among her other feats, she and her husband and two children participated in rodeos.  She’s worked most of her life in one type of law enforcement or another.  Now the peace of sultry Southern days calls her to hone her talents at home. Vickie has written for the Seniors for Pets newsletter previously under the pseudoname, Ivy Devine. We welcome her latest contribution.