breathe through
the pain
and the guilt
and the hard moments of missing
and soak in
the memories
and the change in yourself
you’ve seen
over the last 7.75 years

she taught you
well
how to be a good dog parent
and you taught her
well
how to see she was already
such a good dog

~~~

Kip writing down
all the memories
of Louka
is such a sweet thing
and has helped them

i don’t think i’m in a place
just yet
to write my memories
without weeping
(and that’s ok;
Kip’s words have such a beautiful balance
of intrigue
and comedy,
even in the saddest of parts
there is still so much humor there,
as gentle as the dog was)
so Kip can [and should] have their moments
with memories
and prose
and i can talk through poems
and photos
piecing together my remembrances
pixel by pixel
and ponderment by ponderment
and we are each grieving
and remembering
in our own ways
and loving
in that way
that is so very Kip;
wholeheartedly
(just like i wanted)

~~~

oh boy
the tears
they seep out
of my sockets
with only a half second’s warning

and they feel
today
like good tears.