Abby after grooming early February 2012
Abby and me on Valentine's Day 2012
Abby, My Old-English Sheepdog
My husband picked up Abby's ashes last night
and brought her home
one final time.
The metal box has paw prints on it and was cross-tied
with a soft pink ribbon, topped with a
pink bow like the pink bow
the groomer put on Abby’s head
in her last grooming. It stayed on
until I cut it off to keep
after the vet put her to sleep.
It was her first
and final bow.
(The groomer had always put
bandanas around her neck before that.)
Michael untied the ribbon and opened the lid and
Abby’s ashes were there in a plastic bag that was
strongly cinched
with the metal numbered medallion that followed Abby
throughout the cremation process.
The medallion is charred black
but the number is still readable. The same number
is on the cremation certificate.
(I will put it in Abby’s file with her
puppy-training-completion certificate.)
The plastic bag inside has
a small pink bow attached to it, next to the medallion.
Wow, what are the odds?
I kissed the bag right near
that fragile pink bow.
Michael also brought a dozen
white roses
to me along with Abby. They’re as white
as her beautiful white fur...
all except one that I pointed out as he was grooming them
to put in the vase. He hadn’t noticed it at the store.
Amazingly, that one has the
slightest hint of pink to it.
I wanted to kiss it, give it
a final bow. Wow.
MLydiaM ~ March 2012
...my humble attempt written for Translucent Poetics: Writing Spoken Word at dVerse Poets Pub -- in memory of Abby, my favorite dog ever. (Please visit the link to read the wonderful prompt and submissions by other poets.)
.
