Today at dVerse, Sarah (many thanks, Sarah!) has asked us to compose a poem about a lost love, one that happened or didn’t happen, the remnants of Valentine’s. After a few attempts, I, of course, went off in another direction—different drummer heard.
The Missing
At the periphery of my mind’s eye, he skips alongside Huckleberry & Sophie but distant always his way safe from the fray ghost footfalls shy. Every morning, I involuntarily glance toward his chaise, wish for white chin on freckled paws, liquid sweetly expectant eyes instead: sunshine’s stark acceptance abandoned, his silent toy lamb.
Oh, terribly sad to miss such a wonderful dog.
Thank you so much, Anna.
Oh, this is so poignant. They leave a little dog shaped hole in our hearts, don’t they? Or cat shaped, for me. Lovely poem.
Thank you, Sarah. 💖
OMG, I feel your loss Sascha. I have this every day for Maggie.
I know you do, Di. 💔
<3
Those ghost dogs pitter pat across our heartstrings…i’m sorry, Sascha.
Thanks for reading, Lynn. 🙂
Oh goodness, you’re killing me with this. When I lose a dog I have to put their things away because it makes me too overwhelmingly sad to see them there without their owner. The happy news is that i never stay without a dog for long, and then the toys and things come right back out. 😉
We still had Sophie when we lost Scout so I didn’t remove anything and we brought foster/soon to be ours Huck into our lives in October (a year and two months after losing Scout). Neither have touched Scout’s lamb–not even Huck who didn’t know Scout. Maybe I should put it somewhere else but . . . Thanks for reading. 🙂
He looks really sad.
That photo was taken a month before he died; I think he knew what I didn’t.
I am sorry to read this.
Do you have a keepsake drawer? Perhaps that’s the best place for the lamb. Very beautiful, but very sad.
Aw, well, the lamb is about 17 inches long and maybe 7 inches tall, which is what made it so adorable when he’d walk around with it in his mouth. I guess I could put it in a closet…
Beautifully done..and the sincerity in the words is so evident. Very poignant, and words any reader worth their salt relates to — so nicely done…
Thank you so very much, Ain. 🙂
I’ve moved the chair. Can’t bear to see it empty. I feel this one deeply.
❤ I saw that empty chair when my kitty died. Thanks, Jane. 🙂
They never go away, ever.
❤
I love your original take on the prompt, but am sorry for your loss.
Many thanks, Ingrid. 🙂
This is so good and bittersweet. Keep drumming differently.
Thank you, Christopher. I need to give myself permission to do it more often.
This is deeply poignant. I felt every word.
Thank you so much. ❤
The loss of a dog must be so sad (one of the reason I never have gotten a pet) I remember the cats we had as a kid.
Thanks, Bjorn. Even with the inevitable pain, I can’t imagine not having a dog in my life.
My heart aches from knowing the same loss. A beautiful poem!
Many thanks, Susan. It’s not an ache I would wish on anyone but to not have had them in our lives, I feel we would have been poorer.
Absolutely. ❤😢
Oftentimes pets give us what people cannot or do not or will not and when we lose them, oh yes do we grieve!
I may have been thinking too literally but I realized I didn’t miss any past loves (or attempts) as much as I missed my dog. Thanks so much, Mary. 🙂
Condolences on Scout’s passing on. I still miss my Chaun.
Aww…how sad to lose a faithful companion. ❤️
💖 Thank you. He was one of a kind.
What a sweet looking dog. I have gone through this many times. Breaks my heart.