Bracken

When birds sing
at morning light
I think of you
and look towards
the place you slept.
I’ve put away your bed,
your water bowl and toys
and all the other things
that remind me of you . . .
though nothing can be done
about the roads we walked
or the grassy yard you roamed,
or this house,
where every room
feels empty now.
But I know
I’ll miss you most
when snow begins to fall
and the heavy quiet
that comes with it
will remind me
you are gone.

By Diane Maass, for my beloved
cockapoo dog, Bracken, October 4, 2006-May 17, 2020