A Poem for Jenny

Today marks one year since Jenny, my golden retriever, passed away. Finding the right words can be challenging, so instead I wrote this poem that I also did a video reading of today:

“Work in Progress”

I’ve known you since you were two weeks old
And now that you’re gone, my heart feels cold
But this is not goodbye, not at all
For one day we’ll meet again below that rainbow fall

There’s so much I’ll miss about you, you probably already know ’em
But regardless, I’ll list the best things in this poem
I’ll miss your fur, I’ll miss your coat
I’ll miss the birthday cards your super fans wrote

I’ll miss your eyes, I’ll miss our walks of half a mile
And I’ll especially miss your golden smile
I can’t forget your appearances on work meetings
That naughty thing you’d do was quite the greeting

I’ll miss our Fridays at the park
And going to Kahoots, demanding treats with a bark
I’ll miss sitting at our bench, watching the world go by
I’ll miss how you woke up in the middle of the night to sit beside me just to say hi

The pictures we have, the memories we share
How tight we were for others may not have been fair
I’ll miss how calm you were, and how cool
And while waiting for food, you would totally drool

If ghosts are real, and I hope they are
Then that means there’s life after death, and you’re not very far
If you’re travelling the universe across the midnight sky
Then I hope once in a while you can stop by and say hi

If nothing happens, then that’s okay too
Because you won’t feel the hurt of missing me as much as I miss you
I like to believe that one day we’ll see each other again
But there are things I need to do here first until then

I miss you so much my friend
But as long as there is love, this really isn’t the end
Rest well, have fun, and enjoy adventures aplenty
For until we meet again, I’ll always love you, my sweet golden Jenny