I buried a friend today
Beneath the tall palm
And hibiscus
In a small shallow grave
Just the size of a cat
He died suddenly
Unexpectedly
Always the healthiest of cats
It seemed
Yet he died in my wife’s
Loving arms
So quickly
She
I
Could do nothing
As that which he had been
So gray
So soft
So loving
Slipped away
And as my wife
Overcome with frantic grief
Screamed
And cried
And lashed out at God
I could do nothing
I was powerless
To bring him life
To comfort her
To stop her pain
Anymore than I could
Cure her
Or her father
Or mine
Or cancer
Or make all the
Hardships
And pain
Born this year
Vanish
And become proof that God
Loves us
Goodbye Leonard
Perhaps someday
We will meet again
In starlight
And I will bring you
Your sparkle balls
To play with
©2020 Kevin Fraleigh
A very touching tribute to your precious pet.
Gentle, frank heartbreak. The scattershooting of your thoughts with their denial, horror, feelings of overwhelming grief. I so love this poem. It speaks pain and beauty to my heart. Years I’ve been searching for a unique poem that was not properly metered and rhyming. But spoke simple love, loss, grief of a cat.
I’m an admirer of anyone who brings me to tears over their kitty. I’ve lost too many myself. And this hit my core. Bless you. And thank you.