I Miss The Happy Dog

i miss the happy dog

of copper and white

i miss the mornings

of mist and light

i miss waking to

sea gulls and loons

i miss the quiet

warm afternoons

i miss beer-battered

barbecue wings

i miss pints

and billiard things

i miss family

and family meals

i miss cards

and chuckling deals

i miss the sun

warming my skin

i miss the island

where whippoorwills sing

i miss lily pads

and the fish below

i miss a kayak

and a paddle to row

i miss the wind

in the trees as it blows

i miss the beach

its sand in my toes

i miss sleepy nights

so dark and cold

i miss the movies

twenty years old

i miss the dock

floating up and down

i miss the iced creams

on visits to town

i miss a place

without care or thought

i miss reading

as much as i want

i miss the lake

and its cooling touch

i miss quiet days

free of worry and such

i miss the dusty roads

that lead to the place

where sun and water

proved an all-too-brief grace

~e