The park was peaceful. No barking, but just the gentle tittering of the dog’s owners circled around and gossiping about Samantha’s new curly-haired snookifrabino named Lily, who apparently was afflicted with nightmare growling, a common trait of her breed. She was Samantha’s sixth “Lily” and counting, and lately Lily had a growing suspicion that her owner only really liked her for silky, spotted coat and not her exceptional ability for smelling marijuana from a mile away.
After being told to “get down,” Lily rolled her eyes and trotted over to the hubbub in the center of the park. She paused for a second, looking up at the smoggy sky, and thought to herself, “Is there more than this acre of trodden-on grass? Will I ever find myself here?” but was quickly interrupted by Hammer, the Broad-backed, short-haired, Scottish Surger, chomping down on her velvety ear. She chased him around in circles, pausing once to sniff an unknown shit, only to find it was her own.
“Is everything okay with Lily?”, Susan, the owner of Maggot, a highly intelligent Cobble-tailed terrier, asked Audrey. “Oh yes she’s fine. The vet told me that with her heightened intelligence comes bouts of existential dread. Isn’t that like the cutest thing you’ve ever heard?” The women laughed and continued to chat, still wearing their robes and Ugg slippers, while Winston, the fourteen-year old Gorkle, ran and retrieved his favorite orange ball from his owner, over and over and over again.
"It's Time to Say Goodbye"
I don't want to say farewell, but I know I have to...
I know I should be happy, but Pennsylvania is so far away
You're off to make the world a better place, spreading your kindness and generosity
You'll make friends right when you walk onto the campus, with your cheerful laughter and your goofy personality
I can't believe it, it has gone so fast
The dreams of venturing out into the world, are finally here
I know you'll miss us, but you will have joyous and proud memories up ahead
I know I will see you on holidays and vacations, but it will never be the same
I will miss hearing your lovely voice in your room singing away, me telling you to be quiet, but secretly loving and enjoying it
I will miss your goofy humor, making me laugh when I was sad and angry
I will miss how excited you got about small and simple things, and your hope and support
I will miss how you could make fun of yourself and never get upset, how you always forgave people and never held a grudge
But most of all I miss your love and dedication to things, how you could love an object or a subject and never grow tired or too grown up for it
As you go off to college, don't be scared or timid Be confident and determined
We have had such wonderful memories together, and I can't wait to have some with you in the future
Don't forget I will always be here for you, no matter what
I will miss you very much