• Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Tahlia Newland

Editor, Author & Artist

  • Editing Services
  • Me & My Creative Life
    • My Books
      • Metaphysical Fiction
    • My Poetry
    • My Masks
    • My Hats
    • Permaculture, Forest & Garden
    • Performing Arts
  • Blog
  • Contact

Not Anymore: A poem for accepting death.

October 31, 2015 by Tahlia Newland

Accepting death is something we must all come to eventually. Life forces us to that understanding by giving us death, be it of pet or person.

When death occurs the affected people must grieve, and it makes no difference if the being who has left us is human or animal, the extent of our grief matches the extent of our love. It is particularly difficult when the death is sudden and unexpected, and especially when the being is very young. George was two and a half, around ten for a cat’s life expectancy.

The seven emotional stages of grief are usually understood to be shock or disbelief, denial, bargaining, guilt, anger, depression, and acceptance/hope. They don’t necessarily happen in that order and not everyone experiences all these stages depending on their philosophy and spiritual experience, or they may experience them only briefly, but the final stage, the stage where peace can be found, is acceptance. It is this state that we must come to at some point if we’re to move on after the death of a loved one.

I’m a writer, so writing is part of my grieving process. We have all lost someone, so I share this poem in the hope that others will connect to it and that it will help them accept the reality of their loved one’s passing.

You might want a box of tissues handy before you read on.
20140122_175124

I drape a blanket over my lap,

But no cat snuggles between my knees,

Or chooses another chair for his nap.

The room is missing one bright soul.

 

I reach down to stroke his fur,

But all I find is air.

I’ll never feel his silky softness again;

George isn’t here.

 

I see him curled in his basket,

So soft, so sweetly asleep,

But the basket is no longer there,

And all I can do is weep.

 

‘Jump, George, jump,’ I say,

But his nimble leaping is only a memory.

I dangle no string,

Not anymore;

There is no George to want to play

 

The corner in the bathroom is empty and clean;

No bowl of bickies and untouched water;

No chewed butterfly toy.

No tray of litter.

Not anymore.

 

Dawn is breaking.

Finches chitter in the shrubs.

But no one jumps on the bed,

Walks over my head,

And asks with a meow and a bunt to join them.

 

He’s not between us either,

Beneath the blanket,

Floppy and warm,

Snuggled close and soft,

Ready to purr at the slightest touch.

 

Not anymore.

And no meowing at the door

‘I’m back. I want to come in.’

 

He’s not stalking ducks, or sheep or cows,

Or waiting for the lizards to show.

He’s not climbing the fencepost or squeezing through holes

To escape to the bush to play.

Not rolling in dirt,

Nor sunning himself.

Not hiding at the end of the day.

 

He’s not stretching his limbs,

Or arching his back,

Or yawning in his cute kitten way.

Not sleepy, or pesky, or bunting our heads,

No paw on the chest, demanding attention.

No nips when we’re stupid,

Or claws when we’re slow.

 

No patter of pussy paws

On a mad dash through the house.

No sideways dancing and fur rising,

No wide eyes ready to pounce.

No racing up trees with a gleam in his eye.

No kitten surprises.

Not anymore.

 

But his love remains.

It always will.

Holding, warming,

In a gentle embrace,

Sweet, joyful and vibrant.

That’s my Kitten George.

 

My little star shone bright before he fell,

His presence a gift that brought much joy.

Farewell, Kitten George.

Thank you for being and blessing my life.

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Burmese cat column Tagged With: acceptance, dealing with grief, grief, poem

« Death comes without warning: R.I.P. Kitten George
The awesome jumping cat: In memory of Kitten George. »

Comments

  1. Jan hill says

    November 1, 2015 at 10:29 am

    The gift of your words made my heart feel deeply your loss and my own

    • Tahlia Newland says

      November 1, 2015 at 10:47 am

      Thank you Jan. The combination of love and sadness is a unique flavour.

  2. jo wall de gallo says

    November 1, 2015 at 2:25 pm

    How beautiful was that!! It brought a lump to my throat Tahlia, and memories of my wonderful dog Rosie when she died. I loved the film too and have forwarded it on to friends. My prayers are with you all and your beautiful kitty.

    • Tahlia Newland says

      November 1, 2015 at 3:13 pm

      Thank you Jo. I appreciate that.

Search

Recent Posts

  • Fantasy Book Review: The High Priestess by Val Tobin
  • Book Genres – What you Need to Know.
  • How to See Edits in Word Documents
  • Finding an Editor You Can Trust
  • Review of ‘The Guild Codex Spellbound Series’ by Annette Marie

View Posts by Category

Writing a novel? Feeling overwhelmed? Get new insight and inspiration with my FREE Novel Revision Checklist. 

DOWNLOAD  NOW

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Free Book Download  
Get Lethal Inheritance free when you sign up to my new release email list.  I won’t share your details and you can unsubscribe at any time.

My Latest Books

  • Fallout: Recovering from Abuse in Tibetan Buddhism
  • The Elements of Active Prose: Writing Tips to Make Your Prose Shine
  • The Locksmith's Secret
    Rated 5.00 out of 5

Alliance of Independent Authors

Alliance of Independent Authors

Follow Tahlia Newland’s board My Beautiful Burmese cats on Pinterest.

Click HERE to see all my books.

Books
Reviews, Writing, Cats & Contemplation
Editing

Click HERE to subscribe to my newsletter and get my fantasy novel Lethal Inheritance FREE. 

How to Meditate – the crucial points

See more

Hi I’m Tahlia Newland

I can help you express yourself and share your story with the world.

 

Do you want to write a really good story and have it professionally polished and published?

As an editor, I help you be the best writer you can possibly be. I strengthen your voice, support your vision and can assist you all the way to publication.

On my blog you’ll find book reviews, writer’s tips, contemplative articles on meditation and working with your mind, and occaisonally pictures of my Burmese cats.

If you’re interested mostly in my contemplative articles then  Sign up to the Living in Peace & Clarity Newsletter to get those articles delivered by email. And check out the resources on my Living in Peace and Clarity Page.

I do a lot of community work involving blogging and general support for Buddhist students processing revelations of abuse in their spiritual communities.  Please consider supporting me to continue this work.

Occiasonally, when inspired and not too busy with community work, I make masks.

All my books are

Visit my Mask & Steampunk Accessories Shop

2015-03-19 15.46.12
Blue Burmese
Like cats in stories? Check out my books. And click the photo to read the cat colomn.

Click Here for More Articles in This Series

Book reviews – sci fi, fantasy, literary fiction, Buddhist fiction and related non-fiction

Fantasy Book Review: The High Priestess by Val Tobin

Fantasy Book Review: The High Priestess by Val Tobin

The High Priestess: Persephone’s Return is the third book in Val Tobin’s Tales from the Unmasqued World Series, and in it she deepens and expands the stories from the previous two book. The book has two central story arcs based around characters we’ve met before. One arc follows Kelsey (a human) who is with Josh […]

More Posts from this Category

My gorgeous Burmese cats

Renovated Website & Cute Cat Series

Renovated Website & Cute Cat Series

Yesterday I did a photoshoot for my renovated website. Take a look around, particulary at the home page (Click on my name at the top to go there). It’s designed for editing clients with my books secondary because I need to focus on the part of this publishing business that actually earns me more than […]

More Posts from this Category

Seven of my novels have an Awesome Indies Seal of Excellence

Four of my books earned BRAG Medallions

I abide by the ethical author code

I'm an Ethical Author
Alliance of Independent Authors

Copyright

All material on this website is under copyright to Tahlia Newland and cannot be shared without written permission.

  • Editing Services
  • About Me
  • My Books
  • My Masks
  • Blog
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 · Amoré Theme by Oh, Hello Designs on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

FREE Novel Revision Checklist

Written a book? Need some help reviewing and revising it? Download my Novel Revision Checklist for step by step guidance.  

DOWNLOAD NOW

no thanks

{"cookieName":"wBounce","isAggressive":false,"isSitewide":true,"hesitation":"120","openAnimation":false,"exitAnimation":false,"timer":"","sensitivity":"","cookieExpire":"7","cookieDomain":"","autoFire":"","isAnalyticsEnabled":false}

Please note: I am closed for holidays from Christmas day until Jan 30th 2023. Dismiss

 

Loading Comments...