You Were a Gift - 1. You Were a Gift

A deeply personal and extremely sad tale about a life that was taken far too early.  Being a parent, it touched me to the core.  I could feel your joy as you welcomed the child in the spring, the sunlight the child brought into your life during the summer, a stillness during the fall, possibly brought on by an illness, and a sadness as winter claimed a life.  Thank you very much for sharing this touching tale.  

I will admit.... I got a little teary. I have two pups, one almost 15 in a few weeks, the other about 12. Their spring, summer and fall have been so rewarding. I'm. Not looking forward to spending a winter without them. 

Thanks!

Sweet, powerful, but oh so sad to end it.  Captured the love of a pet precisely and the pain of losing one.  So well done...

They are gifts indeed, one you deserved reading your poem.

Got me in the feels, Krista. I remember missing the sound of tapping nails on my wood floors, and the emptiness that surrounded me each time an end came. You got this just right. A journey that is a testament to what they mean to us. Just excellent! Sad, but very beautiful. Cheers and thank you!

A sad poem, but beautifully written. Thanks for sharing this with us

On 4/11/2024 at 6:55 PM, kbois said:

I will admit.... I got a little teary. I have two pups, one almost 15 in a few weeks, the other about 12. Their spring, summer and fall have been so rewarding. I'm. Not looking forward to spending a winter without them. 

Thanks!

We just recently had to put down a rescued dog; as cancer matastasized into her lungs. Living became gasps, eating became less desirable though nibbles (so as to not fill her precious abdomen space) still brought her eye contact, a tongue licking, and a gentle tail wag. Early years of neglect on a chain, bred repeated, while laying in conditions that shredded her hair and immunities. No wonder she was deemed unfit in a house for kids or other pets…

Yet with years of re-conditioning and gentle care, she learned to interact with human, furry acquaintances, and even shared the house with a rescued growing kitten to cat…learning to sit side by side while receiving table feedings; no, not scraps but especially cooked and prepared for them with health a number one objective. She learned to accept and trust; Pampered and fed gourmet meals, walks in neighborhood and trails, and learned begging for ear rubs was just fine. Whether game or comfort for her, she became a shadow as we moved about, often finding her near and watching.

Allergies never left her but the controlled diet and environment allowed her to regain hair to cover 85% of what had been stolen in her earlier life. The high risks and occurrences of mammary tumors/cancers finally gave the ugly beast the opportunity for metastasis and ultimately a war that could not be won.

So yes, the absence of nails clicking, shadow following, ear rub begging, and her presence to share a hand fed dietary meal, is a physical void; yet one full with her meaning and our memories of her in a place she learned was home.

The seasons of a lifetime with a companion. One who might not be able to talk with you but who otherwise was perfect. Love without conditions. Thanks for this poem which in its way is also perfect. 

Thank you everyone for your kind words about my little poem. I am not a poetry person at all. I do find myself writing for these poetry themes every now and then, but I have really only basic knowledge of the writing of them. When this theme was announced, she came back to my thoughts and I wrote it quickly, then I didn't look at it for a couple of days. I decided to post it, because at the time there weren't a lot of poems linked, but after I saw a lot more coming in I almost chickened out and asked for it to be removed. In the end I decided to keep it listed for the anthology.

The comments here were nice, I haven't responded to them until now, because I honestly didn't know how to. She was important to me and I think of her often still. Posting was bittersweet for me, y'all uplifted me, the entire process, bringing her back the way that it did, that may have been too soon.

Regardless, I am thankful and blessed you took the time to read my poem and review/comment.