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Sunday, July 31, 2022

TEN YEARS LATER


Ten years and more later,
walking without you,
there is a familiar loneliness, that
has always been mine, ten years of being alone
at the edge of aloneness,  a peaceful stillness,
a solitude that understands there will never 
again be you and me, the complete companionship
of two wild hearts.

At the river's edge, the dappled sunlight
plays across the water; the great trees
lean down. We walked here, so often,
together, your brown eyes gleaming,
nose to the ground, smelling all 
the wild smells, tail and ears up,
alert for scurryings in the bush.

Ten years ago, I dreamed of you.
You had been gone for more than a year.
You looked uncared for and sad.
You were missing me,
as I was missing you.

I am always missing you.

I carry you within, a big black wolf,
in my wild wolf-woman heart.
On nights when the moon is full,
we both give a long, silent howl.


Inspired by David Whyte's Ten Years Later. The italicized lines are his. Sharing at earthweal's open link.

2 comments:

  1. The last two lines are achingly beautiful... !!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The bond with our pets stands alone and is so clear in these writings. We become closer to our own animal-selves with our beloved pets that, without judgement, become our most accepting companions.

    ReplyDelete

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