I called for you tonight
but you didn't come.

I search the moonlit yard from my window
as though wishing could make you appear
hiding behind a tree
- or by the door.

I lie in the dark, listening for you.

Let me hear the tapping of your feet upon the floor;
the sound of your collar against the water bowl-
lap lap lap...
lap lap lap...

Let me hear you jumping at the door; your shake; your anxious little bark
the little grunts you make when your ears are being scratched.
Let me hear your sighing, your snoring, your breathing —
God! Let me hear you breathing...

But you are gone.

White hair still floats with the dust above the floor
where your paw prints will never be washed
from my memory.

Your little basket is empty.

My shoes are where I left them,
the blanket is still on the couch,
and a dozen tattered toys patiently wait
for you to come home.

I called for you tonight...
but Heaven is too far away
for you to hear.