Puppy Love

Could it be?  Has she come home?  I've been lying here all day, wishing she would return.  When she's gone, I think of no one else.  I remember our long walks, our days in the sun.  She is truly my soulmate, "the One."  We are inseparable.  Some days, she is gone so long, I think I will die.  Perhaps, when she returns, we will go for a walk, or enjoy a small repast...

But, wait!  I hear keys.  Yes, her keys.  Jingling at the front door!  She is home at last!

"Rocky!"

Her voice!  We are together again!

"Rocky!"

Ooh, here I am!  I've waited all day to see you!

What's that?  Something is different!  A new smell.  The crinkle of a shopping bag...  rustling with something new!  For me?!  The new smell!  The rustling bag!  It's all for me!

I rush to the door.  She waits for me.

"Rocky!  Does Rocky want what Mommy has?"

Oh, yes!  Drop it!  C'mon, drop it, already!  I wanna see.  Look how I wag.  And my ears!  Are they perfect -- one up, one down?  Head rakishly tilted?  Tongue wet and lolling?  On, I think my tail will fall off.  Maybe just a little whimper -- that always gets her.  What does Mommy haaave?!

Is that -- Oh, it is!  A ball!  And it's for me!  A beautiful ball -- the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!  It's round, and new, and round... What a figure!  Oh, my!  Once I get that soft round figure in my clutches... Well, let's just say, I could act like a real dog!

Wait!  Oh, look!  It moves!  And, the way it moves... Pure poetry!  Oh, but there she goes, running away, playing coy, hard to get.  I will chase her, bring her back to me.  I must have it!  I will possess it!

In moments, she has possessed me.  I hold her snuggly between my paws and smell the deep fragrance of her skin.  She is smooth and supple; her skin is warm and wet from my kisses.  She is young and full of spirit.
I take her outside, to show her the world beyond my elegant home.  "I have acres of ground," I tell her.  "Would you like to see?"  She is impressed, I can tell.

In my garden she stays close, moving only a few feet away to survey the grounds.  "Stay away from the hedgerow," I caution.  "It is dark and predatory, waiting to consume one so enticing as you."  I do not tell her there are those that have never returned.

We bask in the rays of the afternoon sun.  She does not desire to leave me.

Suddenly, I spy an intruder.  "I will protect you, my love.  He will not have you!"  I dash off, teeth bared and ready to defend her.  I warn the tresspasser that he is not welcome here -- this yard is mine, and everything in it!  "Leave now, or suffer the consequences!"  He is incensed but defeated; he flips his grey tail brazenly and climbs on to the next gate.

I return to my love.  She does not quiver in fright; she has seen my valor and knows I will protect her.  I draw her near and smother her with kisses.  She teases like a minx, rolling a short way off, coaxing me to chase her.  I join her game, tossing her in the air, and pursuing as she runs.  Our game continues until my body is wracked with hunger.  Inside, I sup graciously, but she will not betray that lovely figure; she sits quietly, admiring my fervor.

I carry her to the lawn to enjoy the cool evening.  We are inseparable.  Though, it is true, there have been others, this love is as no other.  She holds my heart so sweetly, yet so insistently; I hold hers as well.

"Rocky!"

Who dares disrupt our bliss?

"Rocky!  Oh, there you are!  My Little Boy is never gonna guess what Mommy found in the hedgerow!"

A ball?  Is that a ball?  Oh, yes!  Drop it!  C'mon, drop it already!