Cocoa

My dog is 15 years old

He’s still a champ

As far as senior age goes

He has a hard time getting up

It’s a struggle

His hips are going

He walks slow

And when I let him out

In the morning

He pees for 30-40 seconds straight

Nonstop

You’d think he was pissing

His last piss

One of them will be

His teeth are receding

Or falling out

He smells terrible

But I don’t tell him

I just wash and shampoo him

As often as I can

He doesn’t like it

He tolerates it

Sometimes baring his teeth

Under a curled black lip

I have to remind him

Who I am

These days

He’s shedding so much hair

I fear for his masculinity

I vacuum it up daily

Filling canisters

And dumping them 

In the trash

When I tell him

I love him

He looks at me unresponsive

Or quizzically

Through foggy brown eyes

We’ve been through a lot together

He’s slow to take a treat

He’s maintenance now

Long past are the days

Where I threw a stick

Out into the Delaware River

Over and over

It didn’t matter

How far I threw it

Cocoa 

Would always

Swim out and retrieve it

Bring it back to shore

And tease me

With it

Running around

Refusing to give it up

Easily

Baring perfect teeth

Sunk into the wood’s flesh

Growling

I miss that fight 

My friend