DotD: Hardy, the Cracker Stealer

This one needs a backstory. When my daughter was around 2 or 3, we were at my in-laws. They had a dog named Hardy. My daughter was walking around and my mother-in-law gave her a cracker. Hardy calmly walked over and licked it right out of her hand. Tears ensued. My MIL, not paying attention, gave her another. Gone. More tears. So my MIL sat her at the kitchen table with a third cracker. Not to be outdone, Hardy was under the table and the cracker was gone. I finally picked her up and held her while she gave a fourth cracker a try.

My daughter teaches elementary school. She has told all her classes about how the vicious Hardy stole her crackers when she was little and gives a dramatic excuse as to why she does not like dogs. She uses this (earlier) picture as evidence of his nature, as she claims he is tasting her in preparation for biting her head off. She has gotten a lot of mileage out of this story.

So, now that she is teaching 5th grade, she came up with this sample of free verse for a poetry lesson. Every kid in the class knew the story because she had taught all of them in 3rd grade.

Joyfully reaching to Mom
grabbing the salty
tasty
crunchy cracker
bringing it to MY eye level

What is that noise?
running, panting, snarling, chomping
Where did it go? My cracker...
I look to Mom with sad, blue eyes
She sees I'm
adorable, innocent, hungry, helpless
She reaches down with another

Before I can eat it
poof it's gone
No crumbs
no salty goodness
only Hardy looking for more of MY food
now, only the salt of my tears