Misty

My friend by the chimney—

You used to wait by the door

Begging for exit or entry

Like a dog for table scraps

It always seemed like you knew my thoughts

Knew what I was feeling

And you’d come running

Your big green eyes

—Wide fields of infinite understanding—

Telling me not to worry

All would be right

Just wait a while

But now your bed is empty

Two months and five days

It doesn’t seem right

But to keep you here would have been selfish

As Cory realized with his dog, Rebel

They held you as you slipped

From this world to the next

Letting you go peacefully

Crying though it all

Mourning our loss

Celebrating your freedom

Yet still I swear you’re here

I see visions of you

Stretching out, framed by sunlight

Running to the kitchen

At the opening of a can of tuna

I trip over your memory in the hallway

After I turn out the light

Your presence engraved

Into my nightly rituals

My friend by the chimney –

Sleeping under Hydrangeas

You used to wait by the door

For us to let you through

And now you wait on the other side of it

For the time when we, too, will cross the threshold.

TL

1:14am

2 January 2005