Remembrance

"Animals are such agreeable friends- they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms."
-George Eliot

Not Lost (For Smaug)

But they are not lost,
the animals that we loved
they have passed on
out of hands that stroked
yet they are more now
than they were:
more than gentle eyes,
than feathers, scales or fur,
than thumping tail,
than noble heart;
they are fond memory
ever warm, indelible
with no heed of time.
Our small friends trusted us
-without need of proof,
without condition-
to recall their affection.
So we dwell on what we cared for
-though it be a thorn that tears-
and we fondly hold dear
each companionable scene.
We part with what we see,
cope quietly with our loss
but they are not lost,
the animals that we loved.

-TheElementary