It has now been almost 4 years since Splatter died and the wound his death left me with is a fresh as it was the day he left me. So, once again, I post this poem with tears freely sliding down my cheeks. He was my soul – my best friend – my child….

I wrote this post/poem in 2013 when Splatter underwent surgery to remove a 6lb tumor from his spleen. He survived that and lived until yesterday. He died at 12:57 pm on June 21, 2017. The first day of summer. So, I’m publishing this again to celebrate his memory, his heart, his soul. Today, I have no words, only tears….

FOR SPLATTER

How many tears can one person shed?

I sit with swollen eyes, waiting,

Waiting to hear from the doctor,

Will my best friend live?

He has been with me since he was 3 months old,

Together, we’ve walked the high desert,

Swam in irrigation ponds,

And chased cormorants in the salty sea.

We took long walks,

And he was always by my side,

At home, he followed me from room to room,

Just wanting to lie down near me.

But now I may lose him,

And the tears just won’t stop flowing,

I know he is a dog and is not expected to outlive me,

But to me, he is my child,

And I don’t know how I will go on without him.

So, I wait and I pray,

And I cry.

L.