Wednesday, July 10, 2013

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.







12 comments:

  1. I'm going to need more kleenex. Your poem is touching Jean.

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    1. aw, thanks Nik. I'd share my box of kleenex but I think I'm going to need them all.

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  2. No words necessary.

    [Will be interested to hear memories of PeeWee the psycho killer cat]

    I guess our ultimate memoriam is to give a home to another pet of the same species x

    =^.^=

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    1. I could go on for days with horrific stories of PeeWee the psycho killer. He was one of our faves just because we ALWAYS had something to talk about. However, we probably both still have scars from his ownership of us. (He's the only cat I've ever had that tackled me as I was walking across the yard. Makes me laugh just thinking about it, but I'm sure he thought he could eat me once I was down.)

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  3. Very sweet poem dedicated to Hugo. Like I told my dog, Shadow, before it was her time - "I had the BEST time with you." I know you feel the same about Hugo and those memories you carry really do make a difference in providing comfort with their passing.

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    1. It's funny, but we do tell them things just before they go, don't we. I told Hugo all the names of our previous cats so when he's in heaven he can look them up. I know he'd like most of them. I told him to avoid PeeWee, but then, I'm not sure PeeWee would be there.

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  4. Howdy All, both poems are just beautiful. It's so wonderful that fellow pet owners totally understand the love and feelings of anguish when we lose a pet. Take care. No worries, and love, Stella and Rory (and Carol)

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  5. *sob* Your poem is beautiful,and the one Jez sent is one of my favorites. I was in NYC recently, and made a day trip out to Hartsdale, NY to the oldest and largest pet cemetary in the US (an astounding 80,000 graves!) It was fascinating to read the epitaphs, from the poignant ("Through the years, you turned my world around; the greatest days I found I found with you";"All dogs go to heaven; wait for me by the gate";"Dear God, please give Lassie your love - she gave so much of hers") to the humorous ("A hell of a cat, often mistaken for a meatloaf"), to the heartbreaking ("We have no life without you"). Many owners are buried there with their pets. Perhaps the best one was one that simply said "Thank You". As heartbreaking as it is to lose them, I can't imagine a life without pets...

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    1. That sounds like a great trip. Next you'll have to go to the "Key Underwood Coondog Memorial Graveyard" in northwest Alabama. The only one of it's kind in the world. www. coondogcemetery .com.
      The labor day celebration there includes 'music, dancing, ...and a liars contest.' If you can understand the accents it might be a worthwhile trip.

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