A Little Poetry for Hugo's Passing

Jez sent a link to the poem Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep, one of those little bits of writing that bring comfort in sadness. The last line made me think of every pet that I've ever had and how true it is that they do not die. All those memories of all those furry little bodies; they will be alive as long as I am here to remember them.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sun on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft starlight at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there; I did not die.

When our psycho killer cat, PeeWee, died, I wrote a poem for him. I had never done such a thing before, and now it strikes me as odd that the worst cat we ever had inspired me to write poetry, but there ya are. And here it is.
This is for Hugo today. One of our best ever.

He passed with a soft sigh

And a lowering of his head. 

Not a whisper of sound and he was gone;

Too fast...too fast.

Never again will we see him, or hear him,

Or stroke the soft fur of his back.

But we feel his presence as we walk across the yard;

A small ghost following us through the grass.

We miss him every day at breakfast and dinner 

And all those hours in between and after.

The house is silent now;

Only the sound of emptiness greets us when we open the door.

He passed so peacefully

That we feel no unease in our minds.

And we cherish the memories of a small creature

That lay curled in our hearts for so long.