Requiem for Nola

 

You came into our lives

At a time of great chaos 

And pain

And brought us great peace 

And joy.

Rescued from a life astray

Placed into my hands

"Here is your kitten"

And there you were 

Ours.

Instantly.

Love at first purr.

The sweetest thing.

Pure.

Innocent. 

Beautiful.  

Your mere presence 

Brought a level of comfort

And connectedness

We didn’t know existed.

Your first night with us

The first night of our new lives

You slept 

Curled on my chest.

Never would I have guessed

Less than a year later

You’d give your last breath

Curled on my chest.

For 9 months

Like a child

Growing inside a womb

You thrived and grew

Inside our bubble

Inside our hearts

Into more than a pet

A companion

Imbued with the best of us

A living symbol

An embodiment

Of our love.

A fatal virus took you from us

As a fatal virus takes so much

From us all.

A cruel irony.

A cruel reminder

Of the temporary

Ephemeral

Fleeting nature

Of existence.

Of beauty.

I hope we brought you

The comfort and peace 

In death

That you brought us 

In life.

I hope that in your tragically short life

We gave you the joy

The complete sense of contentment

And sanctuary

That you gave us.

It just doesnt make sense.

I dont want your life

To be some lesson

I just want to hold you

Bury my face in your soft

Warm fur

And feel the harsh

Cold world 

Fade away.

I want to watch you

Stretch your black-striped legs

With your snow white paws

Over Amy’s shoulder.

I still feel you when I wake up

Snuggled against my thigh.

But you’re just a dream now

Slipping away

As I reach for your soft fur.

Were you ever really here?

Did something so good

So pure

So innocent

So beautiful

Really exist in this world?

Can a pet mean so much

And have such an impact

In such a short time?

Maybe your life 

Was always 

Just a dream

And I just

Don’t want to 

Wake up.

At a time of great loss

A time of great distance

You brought us closer together

You filled a void

You helped us get by

In a year 

When so many 

Did not.

You made our new house a home

And made our lives whole.

My little buddy.

Her little girl.

Our baby. 

Sweet Nola.

You shined like the sunbeams

That you always found

That always found you

Because light attracts light

And your light was the brightest.

In its absence 

A profound darkness.

The void that you filled

Has returned

Grown deeper

And left us broken

Yet somehow 

More together 

Than ever

Because we experienced

Your life

Your light

Together

As one.

Your beautiful spirit lives on 

In us

More than a memory

A fiber of our being.

You were our heart

And in our hearts

You will always remain

Our sweet Nola. 

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I Love You All...Class Dismissed.