Ode to My Guide Dog

With baited breath,
A year ago,
I waited at a door,
To meet someone very special,
Who walked on legs of four.

Soon enough,
There came a knock,
To announce that they were there,
And in came the instructor,
With the other half of my guide team pair.

He came into my life singing,
A high-pitched shepherd scream,
But at his sweet demeanor,
I couldn't help but beam.

Three weeks of training followed,
Where we worked on bond and travel,
With navigation teachings,
through streets, and bus, and gravel.

At first he was skeptical,
Of giving me respect,
He made me work for that,
It took time to collect.

As time went on however,
Our bond grew and grew,
And now throughout the weather,
He sticks to me like glue.

Through the year we've worked through school days,
At my university,
And through some epic hiking,
Where we are surrounded by trees.

He's laid beneath my desk,
For hours at a time,
While I diligently wrote my papers,
Line by careful line.

Bo is my guide dog,
My partner day-to-day,
He's with me when I work,
He's with me when I play.

Each morning when I wake,
Despite how groggy I may be,
He bounds forth to greet the day,
Reminding me the key.

The key of finding joys,
In little things of life,
The key of being loyal
through the good times and the strife.

The key of smiling often,
To be gentle and be kind,
For all the times he's guided me,
These are the best things he's helped me find.

by Keisha Anderson