La Dulcie Vita (1987-1999) No more halcyon days will we share. Your broken heart has broken ours as well. We'll miss your smile and wagging tail, Creamy fur and white-lashed coffee eyes. Devotion and thanks is reward enough For Diane who rescued her, From neglect, with "McNuggets"- Fast-food's best endorsement, ever. One small stain on a flawless life: Dulcie 1, Small Dog 0. Did it bark and charge your children? Did "the bitch" set you up? We believe in doggie rehabilitation. Live with Cuz-Cuz and be her baby! She needs one, and you need a new "hood" To repair "the rep" and beat "the rap." Come be the only dog, surrounded by: The Few, The Proud, The Canine Codependent. Dulcinea is her name, And stealing hearts is her game! Playful posturing when we come home, "Delco" energy stored in a 12-year-old; She sleeps, while we earn dog biscuits - A necessity, not worth the time apart. Do you want to see the doggie-butt-dance? Scratch her tail, feet fly in Charleston rhythm. A furry-footed flapper, save a diamond collar. Why ever didn't we buy you one? A "Halfway Dog" who guards her pack, On stair landings between the floors - Dad above, and Mom below. Who taught you surveillance? If Daddy goes away on travel, The vigil begins at the upstairs window. Come to bed, girl! He'll be home tomorrow. More often than not, she stubbornly stays. You regarded us with understanding, During nightly rounds of pets and praise. You knew you were "a pretty girl," And our privilege was to be owned by you. Did Opal endorse us from above? Why were we blessed with you? A princess caught in a wizard's spell. (Your impeccable manners gave you away.) Return to your Golden Castle in the sky, Angel, who visited earth a brief while. Dogs have evolved to a higher form. They purify us for the life beyond. The snow falls deep outside, In drifts where you loved to play. Its soft silence is deafening, Now that "White Fang" is no more... (Never forget us, sweet Dulcie!) We rejoice in your life and will always love you. Mom and Dad - March 9, 1999