the mourning begins the same as any other day
i don't want to get out of bed
but finally i do
i brush my teeth
i wash my face
i sit down to pee because im not a man
i drink my daily dose of chocolate milk
i should take a shower
but i wont
its too much
its all too much
every time one dies
i know the dogs wait for me in heaven
but i cant join them yet
i have to stay
and so
every single day
begins with the mourning
My motto as an editor: Authors are the authority on their work. I'm a full-service editor. For a reasonable fee, I'm your writing coach from the first suggested revision to the correction of the final typo.
A close friend died yesterday--I felt your poem!!
ReplyDeleteI've very sad about this huge loss.
DeleteTouching. An almost lovely sadness.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dixie dear.
DeleteI am so sorry!
ReplyDeleteIt's not a new death. It's a general missing them all the time thing.
DeleteSending you a gentle hug Janie. Rainbow bridge or not, one can't help grieving.
ReplyDeleteI miss them all so much.
DeleteIt's hard, I know. I often feel lost now that I don't have Toto in my world. I just spent three days living back at the house and being around my sister-in-law's Beagle dog. It brought me comfort and joy. Now that I am away from that animal contact I feel empty again.
ReplyDeleteThey love us so much. They are so loyal. No person can ever be Faulkner or Thoreau or Kesey or Harper or Emma.
DeleteIs this you telling us you had a death in your family? I'm not very good with interpreting poetry, but it seems like you're dealing with a loss. I'm so sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with you.
ReplyDeleteYou're very kind, but the speaker in a poem is not necessarily the poet. A blogger friend had a death in his family. He said something about the funeral being "this morning." I said, It should be this mourning, and after a couple of hours God gave me a poem.
DeleteI hope this has nothing to do with your mental state!
ReplyDeleteMy mental state is always iffy. Ask the neighbors. I run down the street naked and someone always yells, She's at it again. Shut your doors and your curtains and call the children in.
DeleteThis is sad to me and it made me think of a fellow craft blogger who just lost her dog and she is devastated
ReplyDeleteI miss every dog who has ever been part of my life.
DeleteAre you okay?
ReplyDeleteYes, sweetheart. I'll email you.
DeleteOh no.
ReplyDeleteIt's always like this. Faulkner was the first great loss, in 2010. I'll never get over it.
Deleteoh dear... :(
ReplyDeleteIt's okay. Don't worry.
DeleteSo sad. It's hard to loose a furry friend but they give so much joy and companionship that it's worth the pain when they're gone.
ReplyDeleteI agree. It's kind of like labor pains. You get a baby at the end.
DeleteI'm so sorry. For what it's worth though, I love the way you played on the spelling of morning/mourning. Brilliantly written. (((HUGS)))
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'm fine. I always miss my pups.
DeleteOh Janie, I'm so, so, SO sorry. I know the pain. It's awful. It gets better, but you always miss them. My heart still hurts when I think of my little Tessa, although my little Trinity now brings me such joy. A piece of your heart goes with them.
ReplyDeleteA peace of your heart goes, too.
DeleteMy dear human friend, Janie,
ReplyDeleteBless you and those who do not understand the unconditional, non-judgemental love of us furry friends, just don't get it.
Hugs and look after YOU.
Penny
Dear Penny,
DeleteMy dogs and I have always had a great respect for one another. I take care of them, and they take care of me.
Love,
Janie
Sorry--the missing them is hard. :(
ReplyDeleteYup.
DeleteI am sorry Janie, every time I look at my cat I can feel the love in my heart
ReplyDeleteI am so glad The Hurricane has a cat now.
DeleteI don't have children of my own, so my dogs are my children. When my first one died, it broke my heart. It took a while before I could have another dog and now that I do, I love her just as deeply. I believe each pet leaves a permanent paw print on our heart...and they bring us SO much happiness while we're here. While the loss is hard, we have to focus on the many, many, many hours of happiness they bring us while we're here.
ReplyDeleteI have oxymorons, but I don't seem them much. Dogs are more loyal and loving.
DeleteThis was beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you, super writer.
DeleteJANIE ~
ReplyDeleteSome friends and I (FarAwayEyes, Beer Boy Bryan and my brother Nappy) do this thing we call TRT (which stands for The Retro Theatre). We live in 3 different states, but we coordinate our times so that we all watch the same movie, starting it at the same time. (Kind of like how Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan were watching 'Casablanca' together at the same time, but in their own homes in 'When Harry Met Sally'.)
It's usually older movies (and episodes of 'The Andy Griffith Show') that we watch (hence the "Retro" name).
Bryan's dog just recently passed away, and as fate would have it, we were TRTing 'TORTILLA FLAT' a couple nights later. Funny I found this...
>>... "Let's follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City."
...because it just so happens that Frank Morgan (the Wizard in Oz) plays a pivotal part in 'TORTILLA FLAT'. They call him "the Pirate" and he's followed around everywhere by his "good boys" - a pack of dogs of every kind and size.
Spencer Tracy, John Garfield, Hedy Lamarr - 1942 - directed by Victor Fleming ("Gone With The Wind") and it's a lovely, funny, uplifting story that every lover of dogs should see. If you've not seen it, I can't overstate how much I think you'd enjoy it.
Bryan even said it made him feel better about the loss of his dog, Jonathon.
Here's a trailer for it, in case you think it might interest you:
'TORTILLA FLAT' official film trailer
~ Stephen
I love When Harry Met Sally, especially when they watch Casablanca together. I've heard of Tortilla Flat. I wonder if it was first a book I read. Thank you for the information.
DeleteI watched the trailer. I thought it was Steinbeck, and I was right, though I prefer to be left.
DeleteI am lucky that I have not experienced this type of pain yet in my life
ReplyDeleteI hope you never do.
DeleteHi Janie .. thanks for this - I feel for our friend ... it's a sad time ... with lots of thoughts for our loved ones, and our blogging friends ... hugs to all - Hilary
ReplyDeleteYes, I am very concerned about our friend who has suffered such a loss.
DeleteI feel like this could have been written about me. I know this exact feeling, and it tears me apart knowing I can't be with them... not just yet. Hugs and well wishes from both of us. All dogs DO go to heaven... cats, too.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, they're in heaven, waiting for us.
Delete