Poetry Friday: Rudy

Happy Hanukkah, Poetry Friday friends.Our family's celebration is bittersweet this year. Although 2020 had its joyful moments, we also experienced several transformative losses during the pandemic.Last week, we had to say goodbye to one of our dogs after an unexpected medical emergency.Many of you knew our beagle, Rudy, through my Poetry Friday and Facebook posts about his adventures with Sam, our Schnauzer. (My poem "Yoga Dog" about Rudy was my most recent PF post.)Rudy came to us as a very unhealthy senior in 2015. He got well, lost 20 pounds -- 1/3 of his starting body weight! -- and became inseparable from Sammy.Last January, when Rudy suffered from an eye injury, I wrote a series of Facebook/Instagram posts about his treatment and recovery. I was surprised by how many people connected with our dog and cheered him on! It was as if dozens of people had raised their hands to be Rudy's honorary aunties and uncles.Although we are all heartbroken, the Festival of Lights is the perfect time to acknowledge how much light and joy this silly, stubborn dog with his outsized personality brought to our family.I wrote a double Fibonacci poem about Rudy for my Reading Rockets post about the intersection between kids, literacy, and pets. This poem didn't make it into the post (which you can read here), so I share it here today.Rudy’s FibBy Laura ShovanHi!Ihave noteaten lunch.See how patientlyI sit by my empty bowl?My dish still has crumbs?They’re not mine,promise.Slurp!Sigh.Many thanks to Poetry Friday Margaret Simon, who posted a photo of me and Rudy in her "This Photo wants to Be a Poem" series. You'll find that at Margaret's blog, Reflections on the Teche.I plan to write up the hilarious, truly outlandish story of how Rudy came to be part of our family. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, look for Chapter 1 soon.If you have a dog, especially a larger breed or one with a deep chest, please learn the signs of GDV,  commonly known as bloat.