For Shiloh

She slipped away one rainy day,
To think things through and perhaps to pray.
The boogeyman had returned you see
In all his glory and revelry.

Her stomach curdled and then went sour
The shameless imp knew his power.
He knew where to look within her head
Those hidden rooms, filled with dread.

He whispered taunts that broken toys
Like she could never discover joy.
Face up, fess up, admit whats true
Grow up, own up and bid adieu.

Admit , he said, at least to me
That the prison you hate, in reality
Is the refuge your soul still desires
The safety net for your tight rope wire.

She alone heard his voice
And wondered about this thing called choice
How do you battle the invisible foe
Whose jeering words create such woe

Into the wood, she wandered, lost
The price of safety demands its cost.
Had she grown up, or grown just old?
Had she adapted or just sold her soul?

Where was the child of yesteryear,
With the bright smile and no knowledge of fear?
Who loved and played and dreamed of tomorrow
Untouched as yet by the chill of sorrow?

The silence was broken by a snap of wood
And from behind an oak, her old dog stood.
Deaf now and his eyes clouded and dim,
He still sought her out for she belonged to him.

His joints were stiff and his gait quite slow
Long gone was the pup from so long ago
He nuzzled and sighed, his head in her lap
Already exhausted and ready to nap.

She tickled his ears and lifted his chin
Gazed into the soul that had never known sin.
His heart was hers till the end of time
His love required no reason or rhyme.

Without any warning, her eyes did fill,
And she bowed her head, and let the tears spill.
Old dog awoke, as if on cue,
And kissed away the raining dew.

And in the silence, she heard his soul
Speak to that child of long ago.
I am here, and you will not fall,
Do not hasten that last curtain call.

Hold fast to me in those times of fear,
Tho I am old, and my time draws near.
I am with you, forever and today
And death itself, cannot steal that away.

She raised her head, and gazed into those eyes
And found salvation, so long denied.
What was, what is, what could have been
Absolution found for those haunting sins.

She wiped her eyes, and hugged him close,
This simple being who had saved her most.
From demons wicked and eager to prey
On those too weak to keep them at bay.

Together they arose and made their way home,
Mistress and dog, in their own love poem.
And all the kings horses, and all the kings men,
Could never, would never part them again