The Morning After Thanksgiving At The Cuttlefish House

Last night, as I slept, very unlike a log,
Our garbage-can served as a feast for the dog.
I awoke to a smell which I sadly knew meant
That she'd taken a dump on my room's heating vent
(She's a very old dog, very grey in the jowls,
And losing all conscious control of her bowels)
As the temperature dropped, and the furnace went "voom"
The aroma of dog shit enveloped the room,
And I realized, while cleaning up after the beast,
This was likely the work of her Thanksgiving feast.

In a month, the old girl will be fifteen years old;
She can no longer run; she is too often cold;
She is nearly stone deaf, growing gradually blind,
And her stiffening joints have been... other than kind.
For so many years, she's been such a good friend
But on mornings like this, yes, we're nearing the end,
And to thank her for all of the years that have passed
I just clean up her mess (and I clean it up fast).
It's a strange little rite that I go through each dawn,
But too soon both the smell and the dog will be gone.