In Memoriam

October 5, 2011 Pack Leader Beckham March 24th, 1998 -- October 5th, 2011 ?And some say love is holding on And some say letting go.? --John Denver, ?Perhaps Love? My Dear Red Man, Now you are gone from me, No more to stroke your softness And gaze into those beautiful loving eyes That smiled so each time ours met. I have released you unto Eternity, Loosed your body from its earthly bounds That had grown too constricting For so majestic a spirit as yours. You?ve slipped your collar into the ether with the gods now, No more to be concerned with anything of the earth. Your strength, though it had faded from your limbs, Yet pressed on in your spirit And you rose each day to greet me, Though rising for you had become a chore. You were always the gentleman of the house Getting up for your lady. And now, my Soft-As-A-Bunny Beckham, Your luxurious coat cannot caress my hands; Your cool wet nose cannot grace my lips; Your tall ears cannot, like flags, wave to me with excitement Whether in greeting or for a treasured treat. I bid you goodbye as the sun?s rays were still new On this otherwise gentle autumn day, For the night was cruel in its length And we suffered the last throes of life Together. Your short friends now play in the yard that was once yours As you supervised their antics And sometimes joined them. Just the other day you ran And I saw you smile, Saw you panting with pleasure, Saw you look after the crazy beagles So satisfied in your playtime. Now you run, Free of your body, Through ribbons of Time and Memory, Decorating my thoughts With the Love that was you. And when you choose to rest now It will be stretched out full length On the bed of my heart; There is bountiful room there To encompass you, My Beloved Beckham.