some nights
I still feel her there
curled up below
my side of the bed
where she slept
fifteen winters
sixteen summers
in the darkness
I step over the pile
yesterday's clothes
in her place
socks for ears
shirt for a snout
I want to reach for her
give her a pat
scratch behind an ear
lift her to me
she'd press her muzzle
to my neck
somehow hold me
this little furry creature
who feared nothing
helped me understand
we're never alone
her ghost is still here
reminding me
reassuring me
walking and sleeping
at my side