On Day 12 of National Poetry Month, Susie Morice invites teacher-poets to scan the news for crafting poems on VerseLove at Ethical ELA. Susie writes: “Use the news piece as a launch for a poem that conveys your concerns that this news arouses. Let us see the claws of your rage, feel the scratch of your worry, taste the saffron of your affection. Let it take you to wherever it takes you. We want to hear your voices.”
This local news caught my heart two days ago. I find that I cannot add to it. The facts speak for themselves.
Fallen Officer
He died
in the line of duty
tracking an armed robber
who opened fire
the funeral home
got a call
asking if
they can
“do this sort of thing”
they say they can
surely a service
with full honors
for our fallen hero
named Major
age 3
German Shepherd
K-9 Officer
God forgive
us all
Thanks K. for being such a great help and a friend. Whitewolf Photograph. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
–Major was a beautiful black German Shepherd
Thanks also to Two Writing Teachers for the weekly Slice of Life Story Challenge
lit bits and pieces 
I have a high school friend who was a K-9 handler/ officer (I’m not sure what the human half of that partnership is called!), and he spoke reverently of his relationships with his partners. The canine officers are due the respect of a funeral with honors, to be sure. A sad but lovely twist with the “do this sort of thing” leading us there.
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I am thinking about the joy that service dogs being to their daily work … it is really an honor to have such creatures in our lives. “Reverence” is an excellent descriptor. The loss is made exponentially sadder, knowing all these things.
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I knew from your teaser that this was going to be about a dog, and that it would be as or more tear-jerking. You’ve taken such complexity and magnified it with so few words. Rest in peace, Major.
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Our small community mourns his loss – and is stepping up to offer encouragement to his law enforcement colleagues in their grief.
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Fran,
The short lines, the brevity of your poem, the quote “ “do this sort of thing”—these all echo how temporal life is. I think God gave us dogs to make us more human, to deepen our capacity for feeling. Your poem is a poignant, heartbreaking testimony to that idea. 😢
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I believe you are right, Glenda – God gave us dogs to make us more human and to deepen our capacity for feeling. For they surely do.
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How horrible that his life was cut short by falling into the line of fire. I bet the officers he worked with would greatly appreciate this poem if you sent it their way. It serves as a reminder of how treasured and important K9 dogs are.
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Thank you, Stacey – our small community mourns the loss of Major and there’s such an outpouring of love and support for his fellow officers.
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He truly was a hero and your tribute to him is moving.I agree that the officers he worked with would appreciate it.
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Thank you for your words – I am thinking of the terrible loss to Major’s human colleagues, how they will miss him.
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Deeply touching. Thank you for this moving post. I did not see that final revelation coming.
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Our community is grieving the loss of Major – no human deputies were hurt. It’s sad on such a deep level, considering the joy these dogs take in their service to humanity.
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So heart wrenching. I’m so glad they could ‘do this sort of thing’ at the funeral parlor. You have framed your poem and said so much in just these few words.
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The loss of Major has reverberated through our small community – prayers especially for his human officer partner.
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