Sweet Little Layla Poem by Robert Burgan

I sat with little Layla when her bones were getting weak
Cancer in her body spreading like rumors on city streets
I got to know her personality it was my job to keep her calm
She kissed me on the forehead as I held her trembling paw
Pet her on the head and told her she was beautiful
Then they took her in the room where her owners sat and waited
My opinion was so jaded
She seemed healthy enough to last a while longer
When they took her life away and all was said and done
I knew I had a job to do
Wrapped her little body up
I've seen more conclusions than books on a shelf
Nobody reads that far into my depth
I write the end myself
I loved little Layla, only knew her for an hour
Stay alive forever little sweetheart no more need to cower
The power of these totem shadows hanging on the white walls
Something I don't want to learn
A road I don't intend to walk
Sweet little Layla
A husk, a carcass, now a shell
Her spirit lives in me forever
Another story that I live to tell