when lola was young
no dog could catch her
except for a collie
who’d round her up
intercepting her trajectory
like one of those satellites
you read about
relentlessly closing in on a comet

but time passes
as swiftly
as that owl
we once saw
as we stood together
at the edge of New England woods
staring out
on a moonlit field

years later
and suddenly she’s gone
rushing through stars
that fall like daisies beneath her paws
lighting her way across the void

and I let her go
but I know
this time she will never be caught
will never tire
or stumble
and she will always
always
be loved