Nero could speak

Slightly edited.  Still crappy poetry.  No rhythm or rhyme.  Deal with it.

I took Nero to the desert for another run

We jogged for two miles at his own pace

Not at all bad for a nine year old

But Nero could not talk to me

Nero could not tell me that he was in terrible pain

I took Nero to the desert for another run

He decided he could only manage a walk

He labored and stopped for breath in the shade

Nero could not tell me

That his pain was far worse than I could have thought

Nero began to limp and his rear paws curled under

He lost his appetite his belly shriveled and his muscles withered

His vaccines were current and his blood work was normal

But Nero could not talk to us

He could not tell us how bad he was suffering

Nero’s spine and ribs protruded

But he never whimpered or cried

Nero could always tolerate pain

So how could we have known the suffering he endured

If he was not able to tell us about it?

The x-rays showed his spine was deforming

His rear vertebra were fused together

But Nero always looked at us with hopeful eyes

How great is his pain?  Will he ever get better?

Nero’s only answer was his warm lick on my face

Nero’s rear legs withered and died

He forced himself up on his front legs to pee

But he would quickly fall over and soil himself

We took off work to care for him

We had to face the inevitable by imagining what Nero would say.

I bought a secondhand wheelchair and modified it for Nero

I straddled his blistered and sore body over the seat.

His eyes brightened and his breathing became excited!

He was finally upright and able to walk!

We took him to the park one last time

And I cried at the injustice of it all

We wondered if we were doing the right thing

We had the power over his life and death

What do you want, dear Nero?  What do you want?

Nero could not talk to us, but he could speak with his red and exhausted eyes

He was ready to run in the desert again

If only the pain could be eased enough to sleep and run in his dreams

We told Nero we loved him and held him in our arms

Nero will finally go to sleep and escape the pain

The last thing he heard was our loving sobs in his ear

Remember the adventures and love that we shared as you drift off to sleep

The doctor injected his solution into Nero’s veins

Nero can finally run again in our memories and in his dreams