"I started Early - Took my Dog -"

Friends, I’m saying goodbye to our sweet senior kitty Jack this week, who recently turned nineteen years old, and whom we have been with since he was eight months old. While I have a long form reflection about the experience of sending a soul-cat ahead over the rainbow bridge, I have not yet finished writing it yet. I’ll share it with you once I do, as I know many of you have had to walk this road before, and my heart goes out to you.

Any wisdom or words of reassurance for my weary heart would be welcome. And in exchange, a short, scribbled poem / blessing for anyone also anticipating the loss of someone, something, or somewhere that you love dearly and do not know how to let go of. I cannot remove the ache for you, but may these words reassure you of the comfort that despite the abyss you might find yourself on the precipice of at the present moment, you are not alone.

Untitled Poem

Blessed are those whose hearts beat even as they break,

proof of live in the midst of anticipating the death:

of a pet,

a parent,

a position,

a possibility,

a physical capability,

a love story, in one of forty thousand forms.

May you know how very held you are,

crushed close to my heart.

I cradle the broken pieces of what we hoped would be,

like velvet in August,

out of season, but present still,

and unwilling to leave

without being worn

and worn in

and wrung out

in the midst of a cloudless night,

in which Sirius stares down at me

my ego outsized

my courage shrunken

in the face of -

as I face -

all that comes After.

Lastly, I am sharing a recording I made of me reciting Emily Dickinson’s poem, “I started Early - Took my Dog -” at the beach last week. An evening spent slowly strolling the shores of Lake Ontario was good for the soul.

I’ll be back next week, and until then, take good care of your sweet selves, and any precious souls in your stead.