Requiem for Benjy

(Benjy was born before my eyes and I nursed him as a fat, noisy, fussy puppy....my first born! He grew to be my best friend, companion, a son and a brother, the true sunshine of my life. He was my first true love and he was the one who showed me what is love. He passed in August 2007, having lived 14 years and 5 months, almost as long as his mother Dolly....active till the end and till the end the prince of our street!)

My Dear Benjy – the sunshine of my life.

You were always there for me,
At my beck and call ,
My constant companion,
A reassuring presence.
Never tired of me or bored to be with me,
Your warmth spontaneous and undying.

You were always there to sit beside me,
To put your paws on me,
To share in all my joys and sorrows,
To allay my ancient fears

You were my very best friend,
Always there next to me.
Right or wrong, good or bad,
My doughty defender, forever protecting me.

Never passed judgement,
Never any criticism or rejection;
Never any indifference nor doubt
Just innocent love, complete faith and patient tolerance.

If you were not with me,
All those gloomy days,
Nuzzling your nose in my hands
In sympathetic understanding,
As though trying to reassure me
That everything would be all right,
I wonder if I would have been the same;
If life would have been the same
Or would there have been a life at all ?

You gave me strength in my life,
And faith,
And hope,
Whenever I looked into your innocent brown eyes.
If it were not for you
I would never have known
What the world meant by unstinting loyalty.
If it were not for you,
I would have never known what it meant to be loved,
Loved unconditionally,
Love incessant and unchanging.