IN LOVING MEMORY OF STAR AND PATCH
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013
On this windy November morning,
Before the first glimpse of light,
I imagined exactly where in the field,
My dear steer had slept the night.
In the dark as I quickly dressed,
I could see them side by side,
And knowing this as my last morning’s feed
On my way to the barn I cried.
My friends are old and their joints are stiff,
It’s hard for them to stand,
Yet by the time I reach the fence,
They are there to smell my hand.
Back and forth from barn to pasture,
I carry them grassy hay,
Do they question me feeding them grain before night?
I will feed them grain all day.
Their steady, dependable, gentle ways
Have gifted me years of calm.
The touch of their ears and their big soft noses
Imprinted for life in my palm.
It’s breaking my heart to say good-bye,
But it’s time to let them go.
And through their leaving I can finally cry
For the great love and sadness I know.
And later tonight with a full moon out
On this windy November day
I’ll go to that snug place deep in my heart,
Where all my loved ones play.
