Goodbye Sunshine
18 years. Constancy
consoling me through
mother's death, divorce
daughter's departure
pandemic abandonment
I miss the gray and white wisp of you
your tail's encompassing curl
your feline nonchalance in the
face of canine consternation
rescue
In this year of enormous losses
how does my losing you rank
in the hierarchy of grief?
Must I justify the measure of loss
I'm allowed to feel?
No. No: Love, any love, touches
what's infinite
— by Lisa Sarasohn, based on excerpts from
the Well newsletter by Tara Parker-Pope,
The New York Times, March 4, 2021