A pen once lived in, now eerily still,
Whence before it contained the formidable will,
of a wee guinea pig, who believed he loomed large,
And always asserted who he thought was in charge!

A rescue he was, his backstory unknown,
Yet despite this fact, we made him our own.
And so began an adventure of years,
Of joy, of laughter, and then of some tears.

Times spent wrangling, trying to grasp,
This little wiggly piggy, who rebuffed one’s clasp.
Of moments of quiet, peaceful shared space,
And other times spent looking, face up to face.

This little piggy, who from the start,
I did not expect to win over my heart.
For there was one before him here,
Whose memory and loss left me with guarded fear.

This little creature, who in his mind reigned supreme,
To me, I think, it never did seem,
That he would one day fill an unknown space,
And within my heart occupy a whole new place.

Many days and then some years passed,
And it finally seemed to be, at last,
That this little spirit managed to find,
A wellspring within me and changed my mind.

The days would come and go much the same,
To you, biting the pen’s bars for food was a game!
You signaled your wants in such funny ways,
Oh, to now be able to reclaim those days!

You loved your treats and for them beckoned,
With those chattering teeth and bar-bites, you reckoned,
That you could certainly get your way,
And within your pen find way more treats beyond hay!

And so, the days passed, until a day came,
It started to seem like you were not quite the same.
You aged, my friend, as time doesn’t sit still,
Yet also with age you began to be ill.

So, despite your teeth trims, fairly routine,
More challenging things in you were now seen.
We tried to help you, as much as we could,
To keep you at least at some level of good.

Your ailments progressed, in such a quick way,
It thus became clearer, with each passing day,
that you were beginning to near the end,
and we yet again faced losing another dear friend.

Pet illnesses are a cruel twist of fate,
They also, it seems, will not care to wait.
We sought out ways to help ease your strife,
But we knew one can’t ever avoid the loss of a life.

A last act of selfless care and compassion,
To end your suffering, done in such a fashion,
That leaves one torn with emotions and pain,
Yet all the while knowing you could not with us, remain.

Your pen is now quiet, there you no longer stir,
Your spirit now lingers where you always just, were.
Your water bottle, hay, and hiding house still there,
To clear them, I cannot yet manage to bear.

An ornate urn will be put on a shelf,
A different version of yourself.
Beside your predecessor, you’ll be placed
Next to the one, not ever replaced.
Two lives which were quite different, yet both the same,
As both were defined by an identical name: Love

It’s not goodbye though, my dear sweet-but-stubborn friend,
For I know, as I eventually reach my own days’ end,
That you and your new companion(s) will be waiting for me,
And together, for all eternity, together we shall be.

Love knows no bounds, and it conquers all.
Thank you, my littlest friend, for your heart’s call,
Out to that of my own, which I will always reprise,
Especially while viewing the winter skies- as the stars will always bear your name: Orion.

Rest easy and well, my little friend, until the time we all meet again.