Frankie and Benny were two devoted best friends,
They spent all their time together that daylight sends,
And at night they lay pressed close to each other,
Two special dogs who had shared the same mother.
Frankie was the taller his father an alsatian
He was conceived in an alley behind the police station,
Always a docile and loving tan and black pup,
He would never desert you or let you give up.
Benny was a black Labrador perhaps overweight,
Surprising considering the only occasions he ate,
But sometimes his resourcefulness saw him through,
He was gentle and sluggish but devoted and true.
Frankie and Benny were the amiable sort,
They trailed round their master with great import,
With him they felt they owned the world,
But at times could not understand the abuse he hurled.
At night in the cold dark with no-one around,
They listened intently for any troublesome sound,
All three bodies close to shut out the chill,
Three contented allies with their dreams still.
Frankie dreams of chasing rabbits on the heath,
Benny dreams of chewing bones with healthy teeth,
And Joe, well he too doesn't want much,
A few pounds, some shelter and a kind loving touch.
People walk past them as they beg in the street
On occasion a coin or two will land at his feet.
Or else they laugh or simply look the other way,
"Go get a job," he hears some of them say.
Joe is sixteen and had to leave his home,
From abuse to the streets where he'd happily roam,
Pride is something that he never owned,
When he left nobody searched and no-one moaned.
Frankie and Benny were drifters he found,
They met each other scavenging on a rubbish ground,
And somehow the love he had in abundance,
Was seized and returned by happy mischance.
Frankie's favourite trick was to look forlorn,
His head on his paws and then a big yawn,
And then he'd roll over onto his side again,
Allowing strangers to pet him with mild disdain.
Benny was the cheeky one for sure you know,
He'd wait for someone with food on the go,
Then whine and whimper 'til he caught their eye,
And looked for all the world as if he'd die.
Joe just sort of sat there in a sullen state,
A sallow face and a fraction of his weight,
With simple concerns like when he'd next eat,
Where safest to sleep tonight on the street.
Yet all three had the love they shared together,
In good times or hard times whatever the weather,
They knew how to raise a flagging heart,
When they should be there and when to depart.
But lately Joe was different somehow,
He'd taken to crying of late now,
And when they slobbered and licked to cheer him,
His breathing seemed laboured and his eyes grown dim.
Frankie and Benny would nuzzle his hands,
But one day he failed to respond to their demands,
And no amount of coaxing could get him to wake,
Then the siren came at the noise they did make.
It says much for those who measure love in part,
More by their pockets than that in their heart,
For the first time in years all three were alone,
Dreams fallen through, no hope, no rabbits, no bone.
Frankie was in a cage and unable to run,
Benny was the same wondering what he'd done,
And Joe somewhere was fighting for his breath,
All three facing the reality of an early death.
Had we shown them compassion
what then,
Would we still do it all over again,
Why hold on so to such a meagre pittance,
When it could give our friends a fighting chance.
Frankie drinks from a sterile bowl,
Benny sits lifeless like a clump of coal,
Each pines for the other and for Joe,
Spirits sinking and time gone slow.
And as the final moments come to be,
What is it that you'd rather see,
Hope and love winning through,
Or just deserts for what you failed to do.
Frankie and Benny await the end,
When it comes how will it descend,
Will they know or feel worse pain,
Or can hope help them find love again.
Listen intently to the steps that are here,
The moment has come to shed a tear,
For this is the end perhaps we expected,
Love and hope are always to be respected.
Here stands Joe looking happy and well,
And as both dogs see him it breaks the spell,
They bark, and wag and jump around,
Eager to be away and leave the pound.
Frankie chases rabbits 'til he's asleep,
Benny salivates over his bones in a heap,
Joe smiles at being given another chance,
By giving so little others lives you can enhance.