Canis Bogey

The visit and steak dinner with my daughter had been as pleasant as I had hoped, and as the city lights began to fade into rural darkness my thoughts as I drove homeward began to turn once more to memories of my beloved dog and best friend Bogey who had just died a few days earlier. We had been inseparable companions for eighteen years and I was missing him badly.

I became aware of a bright light in the sky by my left shoulder and I let down the window for a better look. The stars shone back with an unusual intensity. The bright object was Sirius, the Dog Star and brightest star in the sky. The night was so clear I could almost see lines that connected Sirius to legs, feet, and even a tail, to form the constellation Canis Major, the Big Dog, who has remained by the feet of his master for millions of years and will faithfully continue for millions more.

And suddenly I understood why this aphorism of stars had stood out from all the millions of others in the sky, for me this night.

"Hi, Bogey", I whispered, as a tear drizzled down my cheek.

-- Dalton Hammond