**Ode to Zippy**

Soon comes, dear Zippy, that last vetward ride,

Though *hopefully* not yet the final call;

Eighteen long years have worn your youthful stride,

And hips once strong now answer slow to fall.

No *zip* remains—yet still your spirit stays,

A gentle ember glowing through the ache;

You pulled a leash for miles in younger days,

And left the strongest walkers in your wake.

Three weeks of borrowed ease the steroids grant,

But never once you whimper or complain;

You bear your trials with a quiet chant

Of steadfast love that softens every pain.

Perhaps you sense my own unmended part,

This locked‑in life that asks for patient grace;

You press beneath my arm as if my heart

Could speak through touch you offer in that space.

In Hoyer’s lift, you find me—faithful, near—

A silent vow in every gentle pass;

Your presence whispers what I need to hear:

That love endures, unbroken, through the glass.

So linger, Zippy, in these tender hours;

Your courage teaches more than words can say.

A dog’s soft strength outlasts the fading powers—

And lights the dark until the final day.

© 2026 Lynn Brielmaier