Companion

The old man sits in his chair by the door His dog lies beside him curled up on the floor Ever since that day when the man lost his wife that dog had, to him, been the whole of his life With his constant companion through all those long days he'd sit in the sun enjoying its rays It seemed like for hours the old man had dozed A faint smile on his face and his eyes tightly closed The dog licks his hand and emits a faint whine and looks up at his face as if for a sign but the man doesn't move, just continues to smile so the dog lays back down on the floor for a while The dog gets its ball, lays it down at his feet but the man takes no notice, just stays still in his seat He nudges the ball as if he were saying "What's wrong with you, why aren't you playing" Then, as if in acceptance, the dog quietly sighs and looks up one last time with adoring eyes The dog keeps his vigil through the night 'til next day ever since, that sad morning, when the man passed away