Guard Dogs
When Papaw Kidd died, he left
two dogs behind. They sat
on his porch, staring at trees,
waiting for family to come
and clean out his closet stuffed
with overalls and white shirts
and dirty boots. One German
Shepherd, one Cocker Spaniel,
both light brown and dusty
porcelain. Mommy fought
cousins to keep the dogs
for me, to hold, to guard.
Emotional!
You have strong description throughout all of this, and I feel like I know a bit of your “Papaw Kidd” from the way you described his closet and clothes. More than that, I gained a sense of him because of those two dogs who you capture beautifully. They were loyal guardians to him, and my favorite part is how you became their guardian. The last line connected you not only to the dogs but also to your Papaw. Wonderful!