Jennifer and I lost our Hennessy Akita girl in 2021. Yet the love continues. I realized that I could never truly know the loss and pain my wife was experiencing. And so this poem came to mind, for us all.
Who will know, who can go there, to that place?
Beyond common comprehension, above all time and space
Embraced by simple grace and the purest of pure perception
We may have smiles stolen from our face, feeling only deception
Who will really know of the love and the loss that was revealed here?
When it appears that all heartfelt appearances disappear
Who will be able to pause this world, so that we may know where to go?
Who can it be … when no one will ever know?
No one will know, except for the two who took part in this love
Experiencing precisely what this relationship is made of
Spending time together, walking in the park, snuggling in the dark
Protected by not a bite, but a ferocious and cautionary bark
A precious pet, a friendly pooch, a loving and guiding partner in life
After the goodbyes, it becomes only empty days and lonely nights
What is there left in the end, what can any of us show?
No answer found here; no one will ever know
Experiencing precisely what this relationship is made of
Spending time together, walking in the park, snuggling in the dark
Protected by not a bite, but a ferocious and cautionary bark
A precious pet, a friendly pooch, a loving and guiding partner in life
After the goodbyes, it becomes only empty days and lonely nights
What is there left in the end, what can any of us show?
No answer found here; no one will ever know
Perhaps that is the way it is for everyone, walking in their own shoes
They are the ones who take the brunt of the good and bad news
That news that hits that mark in their own part of the human race
The news that impacts us in that most personal secret place
The love we have for another soul – no matter the species or kind
The love that no one ever, ever, ever can truly define
It is elusive, mysterious, intangible, neither above nor below
It is something no one else can ever know
They are the ones who take the brunt of the good and bad news
That news that hits that mark in their own part of the human race
The news that impacts us in that most personal secret place
The love we have for another soul – no matter the species or kind
The love that no one ever, ever, ever can truly define
It is elusive, mysterious, intangible, neither above nor below
It is something no one else can ever know
Far from common comprehension, traversing all space and time
Who will know, who can go to a world beyond “yours” and “mine?”
Who will really know of the love and the loss that was experienced here?
When it appears that all heartfelt appearances disappear
Perhaps in a realm sublime, where there is no need for separation
We can transcend depression, pain, hopelessness, desperation
And find the one heart, joined with another dear pet partner in tow
And make peace with the love that only we can know
Who will know, who can go to a world beyond “yours” and “mine?”
Who will really know of the love and the loss that was experienced here?
When it appears that all heartfelt appearances disappear
Perhaps in a realm sublime, where there is no need for separation
We can transcend depression, pain, hopelessness, desperation
And find the one heart, joined with another dear pet partner in tow
And make peace with the love that only we can know
