My Perfect Rose

A sentimental sheltie poem

She stood there so gaily,

My perfect rose,

All black and Shiny

From head to toes.

With her feet square beneath her,

Her pretty head high,

I was sure she’d catch

The judge’s eye.

Had the prize been for devotion,

The trophy awarded for pride,

If the judge could have seen

Our fragile hearts

Swelling with love inside

He’d surely have given another look

When she struck that gallant pose

And winked that darkest, twinkling eye

My perfect Rose.

But the judge’s mind was elsewhere

When the blue was given out.

The red he gave to a cute little dog,

The yellow to one with clout

And my very, very perfect Rose

And I

Walked out.

There’s more to a dog than a stifle,

A croup or a scissors bite.

What’s fair is not always correct,

And the winner is not always right.

My Rosie and I have a special prize,

More precious than anyone knows.

It is, quite simply,

The love that we share.

Me And my perfect Rose.

Nancy Walton
June 1996