Pepper, Stay

"Pepper, sit,"

Being a good dog, I sat.

"Pepper, stay."

So I stayed.

Sally walked away

Backing up slowly

Patiently I waited for her

Any minute she'd run back

And tell me "Good boy"

But now she's turning away.

Thump my tail once or twice

To tell her I'll wait right here

The lady from behind me

Puts the leash on my collar

A gentle tug and the word, "heal"

But I can't move

Not just yet

Sally told me to stay,

And stay I will

I hear the crunching of tires

She's going for a ride without me

I bark to remind her I'm still here,

But she doesn't come back for me

The lady tugs on the leash again

I go with her, tail hanging limply

Where did my Sally go?

Why didn't she take me with her?

These thoughts run around my mind

Just like I used to chase my tail as a puppy

Around and around, getting no where

And now it's later

How much I cannot say

I lost track of days and nights

As I lie here moping, missing my Sally

That same lady from way back when

Comes and snaps my leash on

My ears perk up and my tail wags a bit

Did Sally come back for me?

Am I finally going to the home I love?

She takes me into a room

It takes no time to see Sally's not here

The lady puts me on a table

And scratches me behind the ears

She says she's sorry, but for what?

She gives me a shot, just like the vet

But this time, I get sleepy

And Sally's not there to pet me

And suddenly I know

Sally's not coming back

And even if she did

I won't be there for her to find

For I've spent too long

In this house of hopelessness

And my time is up

I loved Sally until the end

And I wish she had loved me as well

She told me to stay

And I stayed like a good dog

But I stayed too long

No one ever released me from the command

And now I'm one of millions

Something I never dreamed of

I'm one of millions of dogs

Dying because no one released them of the command

"Pepper, stay."

Did Sally know how long I'd stay?

How could she do this to me?

How could she turn her back on me?

I'm never going to see my Sally again

I'm never going to play fetch again

All because she said "Pepper, stay."