Dearest Tala

I had a dream that you came to me in the morning and pressed your forehead against my knees so that I may knead my fingers into the scruff of your neck. I could feel the wavy curls of your floppy ears. And in this moment I felt love and joy just as I have for the nearly fifteen years that you accompanied us. From mountains to beaches you swam and chased and tumbled and frolicked your way into our hearts.

But this was only a dream and I now wake each morning to awkward silence and empty spaces. I search for your gaze that greeted me. I long for the sound of your breath that comforted me. And although I know that time will heal my broken heart, I resist it fearing that you will eventually be lost to my fading memory. An irreplaceable life reduced to aging photographs.

So my dearest Tala, our beloved, I thank you for the love, the joy and the endless fun and I bid you good night until we play once again in my dreams.

June 2023