Butterflies fly high
high in the sky
at night they try
to go somewhere to hide.
To hide from the dark
they fly and they fly
into the dark during the night sky.

One day when I’m walking in the sun,
and the rays of the sun warm my shoulders,
I will know you are looking down at me,
shining your bright rays of hope into my heart.

I will look up and see your smile,
and your “Husky stubbornness” too,
sneaking through your mischievous grin,
as if to say ‘I love you’
then I will take a deep breath and,
smile right back at you,
a secret moment shared between two buddies,
that can’t be expressed in words.

You were one of a kind, very unique,
unlike any other dog I’ve met,
You had your own ways of showing,
your love, kindness and affection,
You did not jump on my lap,
or lick my face into a slobbery mess,
You did not ‘speak’ like other huskies,
but talk we did, all the time, you and me,
in our own unique parlance.

You were a scaredy cat, yes you were,
afraid of the slightest rustle of the leaves,
one little noise is all it took,
for you to rush back to Mimi,
and hide behind her back.

You were a gentle one, weren’t you, my love?
never have I heard you raise your voice,
or growl at another dog,
the word ‘mean’ was foreign to you,
Love was the only sentiment you knew.

you had your own way with everyone,
Anishka was your pack leader,
always to be obeyed,
he taught you all the skills you know,
So he was to be honored and held in high esteem.

Mimi was your Mom,
the one you went to for all your needs,
because you knew that in her loving embrace,
was where you would always find,
a gentle kiss and a warm hug.

For your part, you took upon yourself,
the role of “Mimi Protecter”,
self-appointed though this responsibility was,
you embraced it with utmost seriousness,
Mimi was to be protected at all costs,
She was never to be left behind,
you had to make sure that she was in the car,
before you got in yourself.

then there was Tha…

hmm… where do we put Tha?
Tha was your pal, your buddy,
your comrade and your partner in crime,
When you were in the mood to play,
Tha was your go-to-guy.

when you felt like going on a midnight stroll,
in the dead of winter at 2 o’clock in the morning,
in minus 15 weather,
for no valid reason whatsoever,
except that you simply felt like walking,
Tha was your man.

ah yes, me dressed up in 19 different items of clothing,
and you, yes you, you were buck naked,
prancing merrily in the snow,
while I was shuddering in the bitter cold.

ah but these are the moments I cherish,
those unplanned moments of beautiful comradery,
whether it’s wandering through the forest utterly lost,
or swimming across a scream to get back on the hiking trail,
or running away from a mother bear protecting her cubs
we did it together and we did it our way, didn’t we?

From now on, in our hearts is where you will live,
we will forever love you with the purest love we know,
we did not rescue you from a shelter,
but you rescued us with your love.
this is not ‘goodbye’ my love,
it’s simple ‘see you later’.

When I met her
the flowers gave me my lines,
my world rippled new colors,
and words called to me
from the sun, moon, and stars.

Sometimes I sit and stare into the sky
and wonder:
Does anything ever truly last,
or do all things leave quietly
with the changing seasons?

I look to the clouds with gratitude
because I know one day
I won’t be able to see them again.

There’s a tenderness in their passing.
A softness in knowing
that beauty visits briefly,
then disappears like breath into air.

I sometimes find myself
caught between wonder and distance
watching something magical
while dissociating in my own mind,
aware, even as it unfolds,
that I may never feel this exact moment again.

That thought makes things sharper.
Makes them more fragile, more precious.
I don’t hold them tighter.
I just watch.
And let them pass through me
like light through glass,
leaving a trace,
but never staying.

Maybe that’s what it means to live:
to witness beauty,
to feel the ache of its leaving,
and to still look up at the sky,
thankful for what remains.