my old girl
your bumps and smells
your tender blank stare
your ears full and deaf
our years together
fill me with such joy and love
the circling
the kisses
the head rubs
the burrowing into my thigh.
my little shadow
my sweet pup
there are moments i can not find you anywhere
searching each room
afraid of what i will find
i arrive at my sanctuary
to see that you have been sleeping there all along
cuddled on the tiger blanket or
spread out along the gray shaggy draping cover or
maybe the poof has molded into the perfect form
and holds your skinny aging body snug
with relief and solicitude
i watch the rise and fall of your belly
as breath breathes your little body
i curl up beside you
wrap my soul around yours
drifting into restful awareness
together.
LLM