Between Worry and Joy
A Tiny Kingdom poem about living in the moment
I bring him there,
his little paws trembling,
his breath quickening,
his eyes wide, full of questions:
Why? Why again?
He calls to me without words,
confused and afraid, lost.
And I, with a heart that weighs ten thousand tons,
leave him behind,
as if I really could…
When I pick him up, it’s as if nothing happened.
He eats his treats and liverwurst,
his eyes soft and content, as though the storm never came.
But at home, together on the couch,
I feel, once again, the fragility of time.
The tears come, unbidden, inevitable.
But then I think of the beach,
that day he ran,
when his world was wind and sand,
when he laughed with his whole little body.
How can I feel so sad
when he lives so fully?
How can I wonder if he’s happy,
when his eyes still sparkle with joy?
Now he lies here, breathing softly,
his head resting in my hand.
The treats and dreams have soothed him.
He still lives the way I once hoped to live:
without fear,
without time.
And I stay here,
caught between my worries
and his joy.
He teaches me again and again
that love is:
holding on by letting go.