There was once a dog
Whose name was Shavano.
Loved by his mistress,
Who was a student.

Shavano would wait each day at the gate
Until she came home from her school.
The depth of love he expressed,
No one except his mistress knew.

Time went so fast
The student grew older
And so did her dog;
Yet they were closer than ever before.

Then one day, Shavano could no longer walk
The doctor said it was the end.
The news was told to the girl that day
She wept all night long.

The girl went to Shavano, early next morning.
She didn’t say a word, but somehow he knew.
Tears fell from his blue eyes
The girl’s tears fell on his furry neck.

It was time for school again
If she didn’t go now the train would be gone.
She couldn’t bear the thought of losing him forever;
Shavano mourned, with one last look.

Love anything, and your heart will break.
That is the price you must pay for love.
Not to love is not to live
And that is worse than a broken heart.

I love you no matter what the cost
Not blindly, because I know too much
I need your love more than you know
My heart may break—I am willing to risk it.

That girl was my wife when she was young
Shavano the dog was her loving friend
Shavano is no more, but the lesson is real
I too learned much from it all.

God loved the world that is lost in sin
His heart broke a million times
Yet He bore the pain alone
Because He is love and you He loved.

KP Yohannan. “Shavano.” Dance Not for Time. GFA Books, 2013, pp. 196-197.

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