The Whippet

My first and possibly only friend,
fleet of foot and pure of heart.
How mine aches for your return,
down the track of the orchard.

My hands were not strong enough to hold the lead,
when the rabbit appeared on the fringe of the hedgerow.

I’d never catch you up,
not in my wildest dreams.
As your four legs are much faster than my two.

Nowhere to be seen and not a sound to be heard.
I wonder where you could be,
how far you could have gone.

But then, as fast as you disappeared,
you are once again stood in front of me.
Framed by apples in the long deep grass.

Close enough that I can retrieve your lead and mend our bond.
My heart is full and my mind at ease.
But there is still one question unanswered,
what happened to the rabbit?