A Little Bitty Tear

A Little Bitty Tear

"It's such a sad thing to see beauty decay/It's sadder still to feel your heart turn away..."
-Bob Dylan

I can't believe it's been

More than a decade

Since our paths

First crossed

So many days in between

and between you and I

we've felt every one

I was in my light blue period

When you first arrived

And I learned so much

By watching you

Just worry about what's

In front of you

Not what's behind

Basically I learned

how to survive

you learned the boundaries

of where you could roam

you looked outside

for an extension of our home

through the many different jobs

through the pain and the loss

sitting simply on my chest

was sometimes all that it took

to pull me back from

the outside in

the many walks we've taken

quite the sight

hat and pipe, leash and grazer

I held you close

When dad said mom was terminal

And you wouldn't leave my side

Getting a latte treat every weekend

With your gaze through the

Picture glass window

A silent meow

That made me grin

there was the azalea incident

visiting you in the ICU

tubes sticking out

and sadness in your eyes

but we got through

and enjoyed so much more

when will this end?

Too soon I fear

But I won't forget

It's forever etched

A true loyal friend

Of a stripe never seen again