Written for Tula…..and Kathleen
By The QOE
October 13, 2016
Remember when you were little and had a funeral for a pet? I recall goldfish being “buried” at sea……followed by the sound of flushing. Shoe boxes filled with one little corpse or another went into the garden with great ceremony.
Well, in our family, this practice survives into adulthood. My father came home on a cold and bitter winter night to find our beloved Soxie, age 17-plus, stiff and stark on the front porch. It was around two in the morning. Daddy worked a lot of overtime. Rather than wake my mother, he went to the garage, found something in which to wrap the dear departed and placed him in the car along with a pick and shovel. Driving miles out into the country, Daddy dug a little grave (no small task in the frozen ground) on the banks of our favorite swimming hole, where the sacred bones of one of the world’s great cats probably remain to this day.
This summer and fall have been a tough season for pets among our family and friends. We lost our Maggie Mae, age 12-plus. Our Suzy had a communal grave dug when she lost Midnight, the cat…..knowing one or more of their two other elderly pets might soon follow. So, when Kathleen lost her Tula, it was only natural and hospitable to offer space in the communal pet cemetery. This poem was written for that solemn occasion……and with appropriate name substitution, could easily be a tribute to all our furry dears, who have gone on to glory.
Since Tula’s funeral service, Otis the Pug, also 12-plus, and Vi and Karen’s seemingly eternal Bruiser have also slipped through that pet door in the Pearly Gates.
Why must they leave us for places unknown?
Their sweet little spirits one day will have flown.
Inserting themselves in our lives, they’ve invaded,
Expect to be cuddled, well fed and paraded.
They sleep where we sleep, it’s a way to stand guard;
They eye with suspicion those too near the yard.
They mourn when we leave them, with great agitation:
Each time we return, it’s a grand celebration.
You can’t buy a welcome more fully sincere,
“I don’t know where you went,
But I’m thrilled that you’re here!!!”
We must savor each moment we have them because
Time takes its toll… just as time always does.
We watch them grow slower, with silvery snouts;
We try to hang on as their candle goes out.
Their lives are so brief, we share just a short while;
They fall into step with us just a few miles.
And, then they move on, hoping they’ve done their part..
So well that you’ll soon take another to heart.
For all through the world, in the oddest of places,
Wait soft little paws and the fuzziest faces.
One day we’ll be smitten, we’ll weaken, and then…
The cycle of love begins over again.
Pets’ lives are so fleeting, they leave us bereft,
Because they desire to never be left.
Oh, Tula has left us for places unknown;
Her sweet little spirit from Kathleen has flown.
But though there is sadness and grief at the rift,
Her life and her love were the richest of gifts.
R.I.P.