Page 40 - HEF Pen & Ink 2020

LOLLI
by Zoey Wall
I once saw a picture of a lion from a book the boy read to me
After that, I liked to pretend I was one of them
I held my head up high and gazed into the distance It was definitely what they call picturquese
We explored Glacier National Park and sat on the rim of the Grand Canyon
I protected our camp from a group of pesky mountain goats
The girl would laugh and call me her little lioness
And the pictures continued when I got my very own photo shoot
(I let the girl join me for her senior pictures)
I tried to be a lion when my family found out.
I could feel the cancer coming in before they knew And right after they got the news, it got hard
They mostly liked to bury their heads into my chest and their bodies shook
I dropped my ball in the middle of a 200m dash And got stranded on the Missouri River
And I spent so many quiet evenings with my family Laying in front of the fire and reading books
But I kept my head high for them, to let them know I was still strong
After that we started going on extra walks
Exploring all the places I loved to go
Well, I can’t read but I liked to nap next to my kids We learned how to live every one of those moments like it was the last
Each one was special and we treasured the time we were lucky enough to spend together
Treats were plentiful and they even let me have my ball again
They took it away before because they thought it made me reckless.
The cancer grew much slower than the doctors thought
But when I knew it was time I let my family know And they understood
But when I got sick, they just wanted to make sure I was happy
So I didn’t tell them about all the balls I had hidden in the yard anyway
I got to stay at home and I laid in my favorite spot in front of the fire
And I wagged my tail so that they knew it was okay When it was all over they put me on the hill above the house
I got pretty lucky to grow up with my family
They lived down the road from where I was born And they visited every weekend to see me
The kids didn’t know I was theirs
They cried when their parents told them I was com- ing home
So that I can always look down on my family Because I know that there is nowhere else I’d rather be.
I hope they were happy tears or that would be awk- ward
They took me to see a lot of things
I tasted lakes all over the place
SUMMER
by Brett Stoos
A few times it tricked me with salt
Everyone thought it was funny when I spit it out On those trips I always tried to stay humble Because people liked to ask to take my picture
A lion on a beach is too irresistible
Once I overheard the doctors talk at an appointment They thought I had a few weeks
I was okay with that, I had the best life
But my family said I wasn’t ready
There was too much to do still
They wanted me to live more, so I did
I got to backcountry ski and drive in an RV to Sedona
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