Oh Maera, virtuous hound…
So much more than just a dog,
You were Loyalty Incarnate.

How swift your tread when you found
The grave of Icarius,
Father of Erigone your mistress,
Where he was murdered and buried…

When she hung herself
Because of grief for her father
Your canine heart broke
And the tragedy became three-fold…

How vast your love
And how deep your grief
When you cast yourself
Off the cliff that day
And followed her soul
Into the afterlife…

The honor bestowed on you
Was bittersweet when you
Became Procyon in Canis Minor
And Erigone became
The Virgo constellation –
So close you were on Earth…
Yet so far apart among the stars…

How beautiful your shining –
For everyone to see –
How profound your sacrifice of Self –
Maera – the Dog Star…

© 2015 Antoinette LeRoux