Watching Out The Window

     Tracy is in his last two weeks of preparation for heading to Helena to follow in his Dad's footsteps and begin aircraft mechanic school. Many of his evenings are busy now and his dogs, who are as set in their routines as old men, don't understand why he is late coming home for dinner or they don't get their evening car ride. Little do they know that he will be away from them for most of 18 months. It is hard to imagine how they will adjust. But already they watch out the window for him with an intensity almost painful to observe. I do not know how I will adjust to seeing that.

   Watching Out the Window

He has not even left

 for college yet--our son

  and already it has begun

  the dogs, watching out the window

   for him to come home.

They do not know how much

 this training will benefit him

  in the future. They only know

   he is late coming home from work.

    So they watch out the window.

Like Garth did when Will moved away.

 And Odin did in the pensive picture

  I put in the photo collage after he died.

   Like Baldr and Mykah are doing now, 

    when Trace is late coming home.

There are many things

  dogs cannot comprehend

   but loyalty is not one of them

    and love, they can teach us

     how to show love.

Love watches out the window.