Tawny and Pups with Jean in 1969 photo Ron

Apologize for the old faded color photo

Tawny

Jean and Jan were Dad’s favorite cousins,

The talk of their little town.

They dated celebrities in their youth,

Until they settled down.

Jan married a prominent physician,

Good reason to stay around.

Jean followed her mother to California,

Became a plug board computer programmer,

Part of the great war effort there,

Air Force base Rosie the Riveter

She postponed marriage until very late,

And lost the only child she bore.

When her husband died, too,

To fill the loneliness gap.

She bought and flipped homes,

As her new business knack.

I came to California in 1966,

And looked Dad’s cousin up.

By then she had bought,

A frisky, blue-grey poodle pup.

She named her, Tawny,

For her color, I suppose.

But it did not match her perfectly,

Like misnaming the color of a rose.

Tawny was bought for profit,

With purebred puppies for sale.

But she loved to entertain us,

With her speed and ball catching skill.

Tawny was a born swimmer,

And taught her puppies in the pool.

She was loved by everyone who saw her,

By Jean, most of all.

She loved to catch balls at the beach,

Until she choked with sand.

But didn't stop her antics,

After we gave her a helping hand.

Jan divorced her husband,

And came west to stay with Jean.

Took two puppies for her own,

In the growing poodle clan.

When Jan died unexpectedly,

Jean took her two puppies in.

Then when she passed in her bed,

Four poodles guarded her to the very end.

Copyright 2026 © Ronald W. Hull

9/10/26

You can read and print this poem at my website here.