Toby

In Memoriam March 2008


I walk across the living room
sidestepping
your sleeping frame
so I don't trip

I peel a carrot
an apple
a banana
holding a piece
in two fingers
over the open kitchen floor
before
I throw it
in the trash
no longer on a shelf
on the stairs
in a cupboard

I sweep the floor
once today
only once
no need for more

I sit on a chair
spotting the large plastic bowl
by the cupboard
a glimmer of water remains
half empty
or so it appears
to me

In my mind's ear
ticking across the floor
time for a trim
and by the smell
another bath
and a grocery bag
overstuffed
with a whitish fluff
better in the bag
than on the sofa
or my socks

My senses fool me
they were not prepared
your sudden absence
will not pass from
my eyes
my ears
my nose
through the many connections
to my brain

In my heart
you will never be gone
my senses will eventually
begin to work again
but there will always
be a home
where no one else
can understand
the golden fur
the thudding tail
the contented sigh
of my friend
my Toblerone


March 3, 2008