It would have been tragic to: It would have been tragic to lose those three precious years. You did the right thing, and you're absolutely right: you will meet your furry loved ones on the other side, in your true home. There are moving accounts of near-death experiencers seeing their beloved pets in heavenly realms, plus the fact that we just know by looking into their eyes that they have souls, that give us wonderful reassurance we'll meet them again.
The grieving process after losing an animal companion is not unlike losing any human loved one; it's just as traumatic. Your story was heartbreaking, but also insightful and inspiring. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for that, and for: Thank you for that, and for the mention of Monica. When she was euthanized, I received the news at work from my retired parents with whom Monica still lived. My emotions went into a shock, and I was like a zombie. A couple of weeks later, while out for a walk with my then spoiuse, I burst into tears, uncontrollable tears. My parents were so broken up by it that they eventually purchased another Cocker pup, who outlived my dad, yet passed away from cancer just prior to my mom. The dog's ashes were placed into my mother's casket before the lid was closed and locked. When Zoey's time comes, her ashes will be placed with whichever of us is the last survivor.
I thank you, also, for your compliment about the cosmic aspect of our pets' love.
Forgive me for closing with one more story about Monica. In spring, 1983, I had been promoted to Senior Assistant Manager of my branch of the financial corporation that, then, employed me. I was a little arrogant about my new position. Then I was notified, by the vet that had known me all my life, that Monica had developed a tumor, biopsied as cancer, in her stomach. It could be felt by palpatation, but did not seem to cause her any pain. Her appetite and "athletic" ability when bouncing about my parents' backyard were not affected. The vet suggested euthanasia. I pointed out to him that the absence of pain, no loss of appetite, and no loss of energy seemed to me to be reasons to avoid that decision for the time being. He said she would not last six months, and she would either feel huge pain, or begin to waste away. I told him, then when these symptoms present, we can proceed to the next step. That was in June of 1983. Monica lived until May, of 1986, with no loss of appetite, and only a slight slow-down (after all, she had turned fourteen in January 1986). On the fateful morning, she tried to stretch out on the patio, on her stomach, and let out a yelp of pain. My father knew that the time had come. Monica was buried in a common grave in a pet cemetery, but its management sent me a written statement that her remains had been covered in a blanket and gently placed in the grave, not tossed in, and the grave was then closed. The vet would have taken her last three years away, had I not objected. But in the face of all that she had given me, through those fourteen years of her life, what I gave her in 1983 was but a small fraction. I have never stopped loving her. I believe that she, and Zoey, will be together in Heaven; and that, when my time comes, I will meet them there as if we had never parted.
I wanted to leave at least: I wanted to leave at least one comment on your page. I read all your works, and feel to comment on them all would be redundant, as they are all pieces of art, and stand on their own merit. I thank you for sharing your talent with those of us at PostPoems.
First, I want to express my: First, I want to express my concern about your close call that, thank God, was resolved before you had to go to the ER. If it happens again, you'll know what to do, so I'm sure everything will be OK. My prayers for your peace of mind.
Wow! You wholeheartedly captured my intentions in this deep, generous and intricate review. I can't describe the immense pleasure of your deconstructions that provide confirmation as well as encouragement.
It's also deeply gratifying that my work brought back precious memories of your own canine BFF. The way you described Monica was so precious and heart-melting. Really had me choked up. Thank you for introducing me to those beautiful, beautiful souls that touched your life and still bring you joy today.
I also wanted to cry when I read your own definition of our fur babies' collective mission in life :
"Massive, distant stars fuse hydrogen into light and warmth, but to us, and to our pets, is given the privilege and responsibility to love; and, thus loving, to bring the Cosmos a little nearer to its ultimate destiny."
That's epic, my friend. And so is the value of your steadfast support. God bless you.
I was talking to someone: I was talking to someone recently about the discouraging lack of good protest songs in contemporary, mainstream music, so it was a pleasure to find a hard-driving, pulse-pounding, unapologetic rant with a social conscious.
Before I get into the merits of the lyrics (and it's important for readers to keep in mind that this is a song, meant to be heard and not read) I want to assure you that there is absolutely no judgement of this poem on my part because of your choice to keep it real and stay true to your audience. It's written, boldly, ferociously and candidly, in the vernacular of rock fans, and this is appropriate to your very crucial message.
The great writer, Mark Twain, wrote:
"Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer."
Of course, if profanity is overused or used gratuitously or carelessly tossed in for shock value it can make writing feel cheap, lazy or trite, but that's not what you did here at all. Every word pulls its weight and earns its keep in this brave advocacy for human rights.
To me, helping people is the greatest reward of any form of art, and the wow factor is secondary.
But that is not to say this is not art! It absolutely is. To me. Others may say it's not, but then I would ask, what is poetry? Anyone who claims to have an answer to that, especially this long after the modernist movement, has a very narrow and predisposed view of this highly subjective art form.
Now the merits of your high-voltage, urgent song for humanity:
You give a voice to so many people who are crushed by the weight of a domineering and sanctimonious society. Your indignation, righteous and earth-shattering, rails against some of the most crucial issues that face society.
What is more important than human rights? Even if some soulless person has no concern for LGBTQ+ rights or women's rights or civil rights, they should consider this: if a society is tyrannical enough to deny one segment its freedom, it has the capacity to eventually strip away the rights of anyone for any reason.
Forgive me, I feel the need to pull out this famous quote:
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
—Martin Niemöller
This is what your wonderful song is all about. Speaking out, so that you can never say you were a silent accessory to injustice.
The fact that I wrote an essay should tell you how important and worthy your song is.
Keep singing, loud and proud.
I apologize for being tardy: I apologize for being tardy with my comment, as I only just now saw this posting (I cannot, at the moment, keep up well with my reading at postpoems). This is an effective, and highly poignant, meditation on human beings' interpretation of time---which, when we come right down to it, is based upon planetary, solar, and stellar movements and appearances. The values (positive or negative) that we assigned to time's functions are strictly our own. I like your perspective on the afterlife; and I find great comfort that, in the afterlife (as some believe it to be) chronos will become kairos, and our perspective will move from idios cosmos to kairos cosmos.