Susie had always wanted a dog
But alas,
Hospital rules were no animals

Tubes and machines,
Whizzing and whirling
Cover her bedside
The faint hum of computers
Monitoring her heart, blood pressure, and more
Beep…
Beep…
Beep…
Brought noise to the silent room
Tubes running from her tiny hands and mouth
Linked machine and human

Susie had brain cancer
She had been in and out of hospitals all her life
Radiation didn’t work,
Surgery didn’t work,
And Prayers didn’t work
Susie was dying

The doctors said she only had about a week to live
So Susie’s parents brought her a dog
Her face lit up like a Christmas tree
(A smile rarely seen by the people who cared for her)
The dog wagged and spun,
Licked and jumped,
Hugged and finally,
Fell asleep on little Susie’s lap.
Susie fell asleep on the dog

Susie had always wanted a dog
She finally got one
The night she died
Beeeeeeeep……