Paw Prints by Valerie Parente

I’m not devastated like I always expected.
I’m better today than I was when she was still here in pain.
I truly believe that she is not gone, but has simply moved on.
So why is there still a sense of pain imprinted in my brain?
I did everything right, I said hi and goodbye and goodnight.
I showered her with praise and said I love you every day.
I created a childhood of her own and made the most of every milestone.
I always gazed at that little girl knowing that she wouldn’t be around forever and I cherished every memory that I made with her.
I did everything I was supposed to do.
So why do I feel pain when I see her paw prints? Why do I feel pain when I see her fur around the house? Why do I feel pain when I go to say goodnight and she’s not there?
Maybe because all these things signify the “past” since she has passed
but she does not feel like a memory
I still feel her with me, deep inside, just as much as I did when she was alive.

– Valerie Parente (9-2-2019)