Thursday, October 9, 2008

Sadness Squared



Sadness Squared

I felt it early this morning:
Death swirls around me
at this moment.

We had to put our 15 year old Taffy down
last night,
she of the cocker ears and shelty coat,
she of the beautiful face
and adoring eyes,
she who had become lame
and deaf and disease-ridden,
she who needed to take the long nap,
to awaken somewhere warm,
somewhere without pain,
full of brightness
and cheerful sounds of children,
of other dogs,
of birds.

We held her head
as she drifted off
to eternity,
and placed it gently on the floor.

She never made a sound,
not even a whimper.
Somehow she knew it was her time.
God bless the animals who love us
unconditionally.

Glenn Buttkus October 9, 2008

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks Glenn for your keeping all of us in touch with the benign reality (and the goodness of humanity and animals). I have enjoyed all your recent offerings.

Love,Dick

Anonymous said...

I know the place you are describing. I've had to do that, too.

Anonymous said...

Glenn, My condolences on your dog's dying. You've composed a lovely memorial poem for
your family. Our first cocker also died in my arms after being struck on a road. The
final exhalation and sudden slackness, I still remember, was a profound, holy moment.--
David