I wonder what Zuri must feel,
As she looks at your bed;
Pauses briefly –
And then walks on ahead.
Do dogs sense absence,
Know loss, feel grief?
For sure, when I come home,
She softens in relief.
So does your scent linger,
After a fortnight of loss?
It must…or am I just
Displacing my remorse?
But – she is quieter.
And her love is clear:
It doesn’t understand space –
Dead, alive, there, here.
My eyes well up less now,
Though the heart still feels;
Longing lives on in Zuri;
And through her, my heart heals.
