The following poems are dedicated to all the Kindred Spirits from the magnificent animal kingdom who have
blessed our lives with their presence and now wait for us on the Rainbow Bridge.
Ode to I Ching
By Tony D'Agnese
Close your eyes now,
my longtime friend,
and let this
time of suffering
come
to a peaceful end.
We'll walk together
soon, I'm sure,
as winter turns to spring,
when snow gives way
to budding leaves
and birds begin to sing.
The gentle breeze
shall call your name
along the water's
edge.
For what you meant
and what we shared
shall never be forgot.
Your friendship spans
the years
behind,
your memory ahead.
You'll always be
there next to me,
companion and good friend. Top
Author Unknown:
...I shall see beauty
but none to match your living grace.
I shall hear music
but none as sweet as
the droning song
with which you loved me.
I shall fill my days
but I shall not, cannot forget.
Sleep soft,
dear friend... Top
For Katrina's Sundial
Henry van Dyke
Time is
Too slow for those who wait,
Too swift for those who fear,
Too long for those who grieve,
Too short for those
who rejoice.
But for those who love,
Time is eternity.
Top
Untitled
By Edwin Arnold
Farewell, master, yet not farewell
Where I go, ye too shall dwell
I am gone, before your face
A moment’s time, a little space
When ye come where I have stepped
Ye will
wonder why ye wept.
Top
Duchess
By Jean Foster
I was young!
I ran like the wind and
The world glistened, fresh and new
With each season.
Colorful leaves raced across the lawn,
Crisp and elusive.
Snowflakes danced in howling winds,
But winter
posed no threat.
I was young!
Each season blended into the next,
And each displayed its beauty.
The years
passed.
Your joys were mine, as were your sorrows;
Our love grew in understanding and
I served you faithfully.
Now, out of your love for me
I ask you courage.
I am old!
My sight has dimmed.
I no longer greet each
season with joy.
I cannot run and my body knows pain.
So have the wisdom, dear friend, out of love,
To bid
me farewell, and send me on my way with dignity.
And cherish each season that we shared,
For they are eternity.
Top
Author Unknown:
You fought hard to stay alive, my friend.
In the end, though, you couldn’t conquer death.
But neither did death conquer you.
Death cures all diseases,
mends all broken bones,
Breaks all chains.
And made you free at last. Top
Pass to thy Rendezvous of Light,
Pangless
except for us--
Who slowly ford the Mystery
Which thou hast leaped across!
Emily Dickinson
Top
My Little Cat Ghost
By
Lynette Combs
The years I've worn you,
warm upon my shoulder,
ended here...
surprised to find us
older.
And there was nothing
left to do today
but hold you close
and help you on your way.
Be still, my little cat,
Be well; be free.
I know that you are somewhere near,
and loving me.
Top
Beware the LeashBy Shannon and Maureen Andrews
It looks quite harmless
On the pet shop wall.
It’s just a training tool
To teach, protect, that’s all.
One end is for your friend,
One end you will hold
It easily unattaches,
Or so you have been told.
But what about the perfect
fit
Molded by good times shared?
A bond has subtly grown
Because two
hearts have cared.
It’s no longer leather;
It seeks no restraining.
A ribbon of love has formed
Attachment unending.
Too soon the heartstring sags,
Leather reclaims the wall.
Numbly your
grasp searches;
One end is filled—that’s all.
Beware the leash, my friends.
Its powers are great indeed.
For if
it ties your hearts,
They will know eternity.
Top
Mary’s Cat For Lucien By Ethel Pochocki
he came like clockwork every day at four, those leonine paws in imperious trot, as
if some inner alarm roused
him from his world of couch
and window and hunting
in the attic, hurrying
him to my lap to greet
the first Hail Mary and
settle in, the heft of him warming
my knees, and in the mix
of prayer and purr, we
meandered through the mysteries, the
beads disappearing into his fur like
ripe plums dropping into grass. when he died, I carried him to the rocker for one last go-round, one last rosary before
the angel came— the
glorious, of course, resurrection
being apt— I anointed
him with my tears, blessed
the small wrinkled ears, the
velvet paws growing cold, the
once triumphant plume of tail now
a ratty flag, limp to surrender. now, every day at four when I journey the beads alone, in mind’s eye, I see him leap into the lap of
answered prayer, Mary caressing
the tawny length of him, as, in full throttle purr, he kneads her robe to his ecstatic satisfaction. Ethel
Pochocki is the author of several children’s books including The Blessing of the Beasts, Paraclete Press 2007. Beautifully illustrated by Barry Moser. Top
Where to Bury a Dog
By Den Ilur Lampanon
…there is one place that is best of all.
If you bury him in this spot,
the
secret of which you already have,
he will come to you when you call—
come to you over the grim, dim frontiers
of death,
and down the well-remembered path,
and to your side again.
And though you will call a dozen living
dogs to heel
they shall not growl at him, nor resent his coming,
for he is yours and he belongs there.
People may scoff at you,
who see no lightest blade of grass bent by his footfall,
who hear no whimper pitched
too fine for audition,
people who may never really have had a dog.
Smile at them, for you shall know something
that is hidden from them,
and which is well worth knowing.
The best place to bury a dog
is in the heart of
his master. Top
And now we lay you down to sleep
You’re finally at rest
Our love for you we’ll always keep You were the very best
You gave us joy for all those years A memory for each new day
Then came the day of all my fears The day you passed away
A part of us you took with you And I can’t stand the pain
But when this life on earth is through I know we’ll meet again.
Unknown author
Top
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small.
All things
wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
Cecil Frances Alexander
Go to next page: In Memoriam
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