Trust Your Tears

I have lived sixty-six years and yet I can only think of one time when I cried instinctively. Five years ago, when I witnessed firsthand, the very second a beloved pet passed away. When her eyes quietly closed and her tiny head gently laid down for the last time, I immediately began to cry. No warning at all. Natural and true, heartbreaking, and yet, liberating. As quickly as it started, it stopped. Nothing quite like I had ever experienced before. I can only imagine what it must be like to witness a loved one actually take their last breath and then pass away. This poem is my humble attempt to understand one of the most extraordinary threads woven into the fabric of our hearts and minds.