So many miles we went
Along dusty paths and across forest floor
A shadow right beside me
How autumn left her scent
In damp leaves swiftly piling
As the winter wind began to blow
In from the cold places lying waiting
That enemy is time
My tears couldn’t hold it back
When it came for you
I lost so much of myself too
So many miles beneath our feet
Your paws in snow and mud
Your nose a prodding boop against my leg
My fingers in your fur
My tears upon your head
But if I wept you got upset, and so I swallowed
All of them until the day
You wouldn’t see them any more
It’s hard to move some days
To put on shoes and take the trails
Remembering the days of joy when
I ran with you
I ran with you until you couldn’t run another step
And we walked for hours slowly sharing
In the beautiful sunsets
How you’d lay in someone’s yard until
You caught your breath
And my breath is caught and stuck
And fraught with loss
When you never got it back
I ran with you
I ran with you
And now I walk weighted
Unwilling to go faster
Held back by sorrow and gravity
I will run again
I will
I know you’re out there in spirit
Running still
And I will run with you
