Pup ~ March, 1997 to January 15, 2011
"There is no pain so great
as memory of joy in present grief."
Aeschylus
Because men had abused my trust,
you came to me this lifetime
in a wolf-dog’s body,
but your eyes spoke to me
with human sensibility,
and you could read my mind.
Fate brought us together,
solitary wolf-woman and small wolf puppy,
lost on the mountainside.
I rescued you;
you rescued me.
Our bond went deep,
as wolf-bonds do.
We shared the wild.
I never knew how large
a presence
your absence would be,
or that it would continue
to the end of my life.
In the spirit world,
I know that you are conscious
how I grieve.
I can see the sadness in your eyes,
those eyes that never left me
in this life.
But you always went ahead of me
on the trail.
Now I am following
your padding footsteps,
listening for your call.
When next we meet,
there will be joy:
I can see you,
tail up, ears cocked,
with that old, wild gleam
in your eyes.
I have known those eyes before
for, lifetime after lifetime,
you have found me.
We made a whole, we two,
an unlikely but perfect partnership,
salted by sea-spray and forest trails,
peppered with loud barks and cackles…
Oh, we were wild!
And I never knew how deep
a grief could be
till you were no longer
walking, here,
with me.
from 2017, for the Poetry Pantry at Poets United.
Sadness mixed with joy, and altogether full of deep, true love. And so simply yet perfectly said. Oh, and how I love the wildness!
ReplyDeleteThis was such a wonderful relationship, Sherry. A deep friendship, and now a deep grief. But it is good to read about your wonderful memories & your wildness together!
ReplyDeleteBittersweeness in its truest form. It's wonderful to have shared such bond, such love... and the same wonder makes the loss so much deeper. But, as the poem suggests, there shall be more walking together (some day).
ReplyDeleteI am glad you found each other - and had some wild times..i love those cackles
ReplyDeleteThis touched me deep to the core, Sherry!💞 I especially love; "I rescued you; you rescued me. Our bond went deep, as wolf-bonds do. We shared the wild."😊
ReplyDeleteSherry, you were kindred souls in the journey and you will once again walk together on another plain. I believe he watches over you even though you can't see him. He comes in subtle ways but, he is there.
ReplyDelete"Oh, we were wild!"
ReplyDeleteI suspect there's more than a little of that wildness still in you, even though you walk alone.
It's mystical, the love between you and Pup. I like that you know he's always found you, and he will again. Love this poem Sherry. Your heart is always felt when you write of Pup.
ReplyDeleteThis touches me, Sherry.
ReplyDeletei guess fate brought you and Pup together.
There is no joy like loving that deeply in life, and there is no pain like losing it. Still, I'd pay pain's price for that love. Because having never known it would be so much worse.
ReplyDeleteHow lucky for the two of you to bond that way
ReplyDelete"with human sensibility".
Happy Sunday Sherry. Thanks for dropping by my sumie Sunday
I will email you
Much❤🕊❤love
Sherry, this is heartbreaking and hopeful...the idea of a trail unbroken from one heart to another, beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThis is so wonderful... how special that dog must have been...
ReplyDeleteAh yes … those memories of joy … run so deep. Beautiful rendered, Sherry … one of your most eloquent expressions of the bond between you and Pup - perhaps, because it articulates the joy that you took in each other so emotively.
ReplyDeleteLosing our animal friends is so difficult. There are those I still grieve for daily, even after years have passed.
ReplyDeleteA joyful place to re-visit.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing quite like a dog to make you feel loved...and licked of course, that tells that you are his best friend too.
ReplyDelete