I Loved You Best

So this is where we part, my sweet Monty boy
Still crazy and funny, still playing squeaky toy
New scents and curiosities you’ll surely find
Your snorts, warmth and beauty now gone from my eyes
But never from my mind

I will try to push on without you. I’ll find the strength
In knowing that Life measures quality, not its length
One last long cuddle, one last kiss while you leave,
My tears flow over you like a river as I grieve

There may be others, that much is true
They be they but they aren’t you
The fur I stroked, the nose I kissed
My heart you stole, you will be missed

And as you journey to your final rest
Take with you this, I loved you best
You were my heart, I hoped you could see
I needed you more than you needed me

(adaptation of poem by Jim Willis 2002)