Until that day
. . . when . . .
the World stopped
to touch, to hug, to kiss
I did not know—
Until that day
. . . when . . .
my Dog and I met for
the first-time face to face
I did not know—
Until that day
. . . when . . .
we felt our aloneness
whispering new silences
I did not know—
Until that day
. . . when . . .
a paw became a hand,
a hand became a paw
I did not know
I did not know the depth
I did not know the force
I did not know the vastness,
the amplitude, the magnitude,
the immensity of love and tenderness
my Dog had for me;
until that day.