I remember,
When I was six,
I'd never been without a dog,
When I was nine,
All my dogs died,
And Mama said we couldn't have anymore,
I asked her why,
And she replied to me,
" Oh my! You don't know? We already have a dog! Hundreds of them!"
I blinked in confusion and asked if I could see them,
And she replied,
" Darling, the wilderness is our home, and the wolves and foxes are our pets,"
She looked up towards the night sky and said,
" It's our job to protect them until we die,"
I smiled,
Al though I didn't really understand,
But I memorized the words,
For the rest of my life.
~~
When I was Twenty-five,
My mama had died,
and I was a married woman,
Now I stood before her grave,
A smile bright on my face,
As I told her,
" I'm protecting them, and I plan on doing it till I die,"
I looked up at the night sky,
And I listened to a distant howl,
and stared back at her grave,
" Mama, do you hear them?"



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