AN OLD FRIEND

Not the real Coco

but a close resemblance

COCO

There is now no one
On dark nights
To act as sentinel
On Iona Drive,
My old Guardian friend
Has left his post
Once and for all.

No more wag-tailed hellos
Or giddy frolics
Dolphin-like skitting at my heels
As I went to get a biscuit.
Coco at seventeen
Has left this road
And all the roads of earth
And gone elsewhere
Perhaps, for further cheerful service !

Our doggy emissary
Left in the twinkling of an eye !
In the wettest of summers
The darling of our street ,
Fell asleep at last
To well earned rest.

Gerard O'Shea

Coco was a feature of the landscape around here over the last several years,originally flanked by his terrier friend T.J. He was a real tramp of the roads and loved passers-by often joining them on walks around the North Circular Road,whether invited or not! He left his original owners and hooked up with a more amenable neighbour many years ago,deciding for himself at which address he would reside. Many a nocturnal homeward walk was brightened up by the re-assuring emergence of Coco from his kennel, tail wagging exuding welcome and friendliness in equal measure. He had the habit of walking non-chalantly in the middle of the road and as he aged and his hearing deteriorated it was feared that he might one day succumb to an oncoming car. Mercifully Coco died peacefully during the Summer closing his eyes for the last time,after a lifetime of loyalty and companionship to his owners and being a gentle and cheerful presence for those of us who passed his 'patch' on the entrance to Iona Drive.-GOSh.