Midwest Mary

When my Grandpa McCarthy passed away, we found a little folded piece of paper in his wallet with a poem printed on it. My grandmother knew I loved poetry, so she gave me the paper.

The poem is meaningful to me on so many levels. It is beautifully written, and its message is thought-provoking. I can’t help but to ponder the scene when reading it. Mostly, the poem reminds me of my grandparents and their love for their German Shepherds.

Here is that special little poem.

The Little Black Dog

I wonder if Christ had a little black dog,

All curly and wooly like mine

With two silky ears and a nose round and wet,

And two eyes, brown and tender, that shine.

I’m sure if He had, that little black dog

Knew right from the start He was God,

That he needed no proof that Christ was divine

But just worshipped the ground that He trod.

I’m afraid that He hadn’t because I have read

How He prayed in the garden alone;

For all of His friends and disciples had fled –

Even Peter, the one called a stone.

And oh, I am sure that little black dog,

With a heart so tender and warm,

Would never have left Him to suffer alone,

But creeping right under His arm,

Would have licked those dear fingers, in agony clasped;

And counting all favors but loss,

When they took Him away would have trotted behind

And followed Him quite to the Cross.

– –Elizabeth Gardner Reynolds–

©2022, Mary K. Doyle