Some dogs are big, some dogs are small, and the best dogs are those who love unconditionally and always come running to the one they love whenever they hear them call.
Having a dog is a blessing, a gift, as well as a responsibility - because having a dog is like having a child, and when you look into the eyes of a dog and when they look back at you with a look of adoration the feeling is noticeably mutual and beautiful to behold.
Some people, some families, have many dogs and when they give their dogs a name their dogs learn quickly that they are a part of a family who loves them so much that they gave them a name, as well as a special place at the heart of whomever their human family is - and dogs love being a part of a family because it feels so natural to them to have a group of individuals around them who all want the best for each other, just like the packs of their wolf cousins.
Whenever you watch a dog grow from being a puppy into becoming an adult, sometimes you forget that for every human year that passes a dog ages seven years - and because you get used to having a dog around and you naturally provide them with food, water, and of course attention when they need it, when your dog gets ill, or when your dog sadly passes away, the gravity of the loss that you feel can be so unbearable that you feel at a loss to describe the pain of not having them around anymore.
It’s sometimes hard to put into words how much a dog can mean to us, and sometimes it is hard to tell someone how much a particular dog has been such a profound source of love and support to us through good times and through bad times, because a dog - especially a special dog who used to come to you before others, and a dog who used to lick you like they were kissing the love of their life, and a dog who used to sleep with you because they wanted to protect you from harm - can be what keeps you from succumbing to what so many people in life have to contend with, and of course only a dog can give the best of cuddles; and, with all that I have said and more in mind, I would like to dedicate this poem to a special little black and white dog who was one of the best dogs ever: this poem is for “Snuggles”.
“Sounds and Voices” is a poem taken from Mark’s 2025 poetry collection ‘The Storyteller‘ – now available to purchase in hardback and as an ebook from Amazon.
“The Music of The Midnight” is a poem taken from Mark’s 2025 poetry collection ‘The Storyteller‘ – now available to purchase in hardback and as an ebook from Amazon.
“Never Say Never” is a poem taken from Mark’s 2025 poetry collection ‘The Storyteller‘ – now available to purchase in hardback and as an ebook from Amazon.
Even some of the longest and the most devastating conflicts that the people of our planet have known have started with something seemingly so small, so simple, and so subtle as a single word, or a whisper in the ear of someone whose voice and influence carries farther than others… even some of the most seemingly innocent and quiet people on Earth are capable of inflicting a great deal of harm and can create a great deal of damage – because though they appear to be someone who would not say anything to anybody, behind closed doors some people are not who and what they seem and they take any opportunity to talk about others and attempt to ruin how people they don’t like are perceived… even the closest of friends can find themselves falling out with one another because they believe that their relationship has changed to such a drastic degree that there is no going back to how things were when things were good… even some days that begin without anything to grumble about can slowly descend into a “day from hell” – when everything seems to go wrong, when no one can find mutual understanding, nor common ground, and when every interaction feels like a fight that will only escalate and get out of hand the more that time goes on… even something that was originally intended to be a joke can be twisted and turned into something that is a far cry from what it was supposed to be – and as a result feelings can be expressed, things can be said, choices can be made, and what will happen next may not be what was expected, nor wanted, because it doesn’t take long for “nothing” to become “something”, nor does it take long for something that is said to be taken out of context, and it doesn’t take long before there are the first of many exchanges shared within a war of words.
“Point of No Return” is a poem taken from Mark’s 2025 poetry collection ‘The Storyteller‘ – now available to purchase in hardback and as an ebook from Amazon.
Mark Hastings 