The following is a poem that Phil wrote after he lost his lover Jim, and then lost his amigo fiel (or his most faithful friend), our dog, Lucky.

My dog died last night
A quick spasm
At the end of a
Splendid trail.
All of the passion
and emotion
I felt in your last sigh
and breath — can't summarize; it was you and me
and I felt the truth,
and in that final act
of freedom
we became history—
my childhood
my ultimate bond
Boy and Dog
Dog and Boy
the Truth
these acts of love — have lost their meaning
what was it I was giving you? Or you me?
cold nights
rain like this
or snow
or flying down the block
at midnight — half naked
screaming your little stupid name
how lucky we were
how lucky I am
In these moments
Only now—
Totally alone
No dog—no lover
no pooch and no smooch
I can re-examine
where I am going
and what I can possibly even
hope to regain
cut loose—
Adrift like a Jew in St. John's
on Xmas Eve
not understanding the words
but getting the feeling anyway.