I wrote this after my childhood dog, Buffy, died in 1989 from Kidney Failure:
Goodbye, My Friend
Yesterday I watched that neon sun go down as a jet flew through electric red and purple rays dancing in between soft clouds pushed and pulled by the wind.
And as I watched, I wondered: what happens to a cloud when it is torn asunder in the winds, almost like a loaf of french bread in a game of tug-o-war with the white blur of fur that snatched it from the dinner table.
Does the cloud die and fade to nothingness, never to be seen again, or do memories remain like scattered breadcrumbs on the floor after the tug-o-war?
**********
I remember sitting with her in the waiting room. she would walk back and forth on the tiled floor, lie down under my chair, get up and walk back and forth again— bumping into a table covered with magazines…
Come here, girl! Shake. Roll over. Don’t die.
Please!
**********
It is night now. The sun has gone and I no longer see the clouds. So I lament like that old McCartney song of life and love and loss.
When I see that neon sun again I’ll remember the game, and the breadcrumbs too. I’ll watch the wind blowing the clouds around and feel my gentle rain.
--Matthew S. Urdan
I still miss her horribly, and every time there's a neon sunset when clouds of electric pink and purple streak the sky, all the memories come rushing back.
Losing a pet is often harder than losing a human. Makes no sense logically, but then our pets don't appeal to our logical side, do they?
I remember a friend once telling me the only things that would ever love me unconditionally were God and my dog, and even then, God couldn't be counted on depending on the dogma s/he was attached to!
They're not pets. They're your friend, your companion, your co-conspirator and sometimes, your substitute child. But they're always a huge part of your heart. And they're always missed when they leave us too soon. Hope the pain fades a bit more every day...
I haven't had to relate to your sorrow yet. I have 2 babies now, and well... they are like my children. I can't imagine losing them. I have had dogs as a child growing up, but never like the babies i have now... I do hope all dogs go to heaven as I would love to know that when they die i will see them again.
I did have to put my beloved Dexter down it is something I will never forget. Like Frances said, I have not felt that kind of sorrow since. It may be the main reason I don't think I can ever get another furry kid. Time will tell but I don't see it in my immediate future.
All of you go and hug your furry kids from me right this second.
okay. i completely understand your feelings. cats rule in our household - always have. the four worst days of my life have been those in which i have had to say good-bye to four very old friends. the ephinany came 3 years ago today when i said good-bye to the last friend i lost. you see, he was found on a roadway not far from home many years before. he was so little, would never have made it off that roadway alive had we not picked him up and taken him home. we would have not had 17 wonderful years together through lot of good and bad days - for both of us. i made a promise to take care of him the day we picked him up and i kept my promise, right up until the very last day. i always did the best i could do for him -because he always did the very best for me. so, you too, kept your promise to Dexter. You took care of him right until the very end. isn't that what a real friend is for? so in my cat's honor, not as a replacement, i found it to risk that hurt again for a true friend. somewhere out there is a dog who needs you, just as much as you need him. if you didn't care, and you never really connected, it would have never hurt this much. anything truly worth loving involves a risk. otherwise, you're just watching from the sidelines. i wish you would reconsider...."dance like no one is watching, love like you have never been hurt". down off my soap box...........
12 comments:
I wrote this after my childhood dog, Buffy, died in 1989 from Kidney Failure:
Goodbye, My Friend
Yesterday
I watched that neon sun go down
as a jet flew through
electric red and purple rays
dancing
in between soft clouds
pushed and pulled by the wind.
And as I watched, I wondered:
what happens to a cloud
when it is torn asunder in the winds,
almost like a loaf of french bread
in a game of tug-o-war
with the white blur of fur
that snatched it from the dinner table.
Does the cloud die
and fade to nothingness,
never to be seen again,
or do memories remain
like scattered breadcrumbs on the floor
after the tug-o-war?
**********
I remember
sitting with her in the waiting room.
she would walk back and forth on the tiled floor,
lie down under my chair,
get up and walk back and forth again—
bumping into a table covered with magazines…
Come here, girl!
Shake.
Roll over.
Don’t die.
Please!
**********
It is night now.
The sun has gone
and I no longer see the clouds.
So I lament
like that old McCartney song
of life and love and loss.
When I see that neon sun again
I’ll remember
the game,
and the breadcrumbs too.
I’ll watch the wind
blowing the clouds around
and feel
my gentle rain.
--Matthew S. Urdan
I still miss her horribly, and every time there's a neon sunset when clouds of electric pink and purple streak the sky, all the memories come rushing back.
Hang in there!
What a precious face. I'm so sorry. Losing furry babies is so difficult.
I still miss my dog, from when I was a kid, and both of my cats, the last of which died a year ago on May 19th. I really can't talk about it.
https://www.rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm
Losing a pet is often harder than losing a human. Makes no sense logically, but then our pets don't appeal to our logical side, do they?
I remember a friend once telling me the only things that would ever love me unconditionally were God and my dog, and even then, God couldn't be counted on depending on the dogma s/he was attached to!
Here's to good pets long since departed!
They're not pets. They're your friend, your companion, your co-conspirator and sometimes, your substitute child. But they're always a huge part of your heart. And they're always missed when they leave us too soon. Hope the pain fades a bit more every day...
put my dog down 20 years ago was one of the worst experiences of my life.
I never cried for a person the way I did for that dog.
I haven't had to relate to your sorrow yet. I have 2 babies now, and well... they are like my children. I can't imagine losing them. I have had dogs as a child growing up, but never like the babies i have now... I do hope all dogs go to heaven as I would love to know that when they die i will see them again.
DA
Thanks everyone.
I did have to put my beloved Dexter down it is something I will never forget. Like Frances said, I have not felt that kind of sorrow since. It may be the main reason I don't think I can ever get another furry kid. Time will tell but I don't see it in my immediate future.
All of you go and hug your furry kids from me right this second.
What a beautiful dog!
hugs to you...nobody loves you like your dog does.
I had a dog named Smidley for 17.5 years ... she's been gone since December 2002 and I still miss her.
okay. i completely understand your feelings. cats rule in our household - always have. the four worst days of my life have been those in which i have had to say good-bye to four very old friends. the ephinany came 3 years ago today when i said good-bye to the last friend i lost. you see, he was found on a roadway not far from home many years before. he was so little, would never have made it off that roadway alive had we not picked him up and taken him home. we would have not had 17 wonderful years together through lot of good and bad days - for both of us. i made a promise to take care of him the day we picked him up and i kept my promise, right up until the very last day. i always did the best i could do for him -because he always did the very best for me. so, you too, kept your promise to Dexter. You took care of him right until the very end. isn't that what a real friend is for? so in my cat's honor, not as a replacement, i found it to risk that hurt again for a true friend. somewhere out there is a dog who needs you, just as much as you need him. if you didn't care, and you never really connected, it would have never hurt this much. anything truly worth loving involves a risk. otherwise, you're just watching from the sidelines. i wish you would reconsider...."dance like no one is watching, love like you have never been hurt". down off my soap box...........
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