Resting

Halfway through our long 
morning walk, Lady and I rest
on our favorite bench.
 
With her back to me
she snuggles close
and uses her nose to guide
my arm around her.
 
Looks like a Kodak picture
a woman calls from the window
of a passing car.
 
A neighbor couple walking
to the Rec center for morning bridge
stops to pet Lady
who wags her tail thank you.
 
A bobcat sits on the wall
across the street staring at Lady
who stares back.
 
One of Lady’s dog friends
tries, without success, to lure 
her off the bench to play.
 
Occasionally, Lady wiggles her body
to make sure there’s no space between us. 
I run my hand through her soft hair. 
 
A bench poem by Jane McKinney as first seen in the book, Morning Walk, published in 2013. More stories and poems about Lady may be found in Miracle Within Small Things: A Mother and Daughter’s Journey Through Loss and Aging. It is available through your local bookstore and on Amazon