See Spot
gazing out the porthole
of his space capsule, looking
down at Dick and Jane
who are waving good-bye
to him,
their pet and
loyal friend, and
now the pride of a nation,
about to become the first dog
ever to blast into space
and leave old Earth behind.
See Spot
straining in his harness,
G forces building, fear clouding
his perky eyes, bladder giving way,
praying that the rivets just hold,
while safe on terra firma,
Dick and Jane, mobbed by reporters,
eagerly grab the spotlight.
See Spot
in free fall now, nauseous
and sweat-drenched from head to tail,
wondering to himself,
What the hell was I thinking
when I signed on for this thing?
Even Curious George turned it
down flat. I'm a simple mutt,
and would rather be home chasing
my tail, or a new red ball,
before freezing in horror
as he sees every red malfunction light
on the control panel
begin to blink.
Many chapters later,
after the official State funeral,
news conferences, luncheons,
and dinners for hero Spot,
a new Dick and Jane settle into a
somewhat different routine,
a whole lot richer thanks to
the book and movie deals,
and dramatically,
at each book's end, when
the night sky is crisp and clear,
they stroll out beside their new
swimming pool, and pointing
up at an unblinking star,
as it leisurely moves west to east,
Dick says, see Spot, Jane,
see Spot
so high up in the sky.
'Round and 'round Spot goes
like a merry-go-round.
What fun for our dog Spot, if only
he were still alive. Goodnight,
Spot. Sleep tight, Spot.
Bye-bye, Spot.