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