Last weekend we lost our dog, Sasha, to what appeared to be liver failure. It happened suddenly. She woke me Sunday morning with a yap, and I got up, expecting her to greet me and ask to go outside. Instead, she was propped up against the wall, shaking and breathing hard. I held her head up in the emergency room, her eyes rolling back as I looked around for someone to do something.
In the book Love That Dog by Sharon Creech, a young boy named Jack comes to terms with the death of his dog, Sky. He learns to turn to poetry.
I have turned to poetry too.
This morning, I looked down at my cold feet, looked out the window at the rain, and thought about Sasha. Sasha usually laid on my feet, keeping them warm. I wanted to feel her soft fur on my skin again and her weight on my toes. So I decided to write a poem to share with you about my dog and hopefully inspire you and your children to turn to poetry to deal with grief.
The rain is falling gently down,
And all the world is gray and brown;
But in my heart, there burns a fire,
For my lost pup's wide, wild smile.
Now every time I see the rain,
My eyes will leak with loss and pain,
I'll think of walks deep in the woods
Or how she'd lay to keep me warm.
And though she's gone, within my heart,
We'll never be too long apart.
I'll keep her memory alive,
And she will run with me once more.
