Holding On

To a life played out in clips

chiplanay on pixabay.com

“You can come
and pick her up now,”
the receptionist says
over the phone.

We take the short drive
to the vet’s —
shortened further
by my state of mind.

Lately, I can’t remember
how I get from
point A to point B.

Ever since Daddy and I left you
at the veterinary hospital
our lives have been playing out
in clips (clip to clip)
with none of the mundane
scenes in between.

I long for all
the mundane scenes
in between —

to hold them
frame by frame
to memorize
memorialize
every moment
from point A
to point B —

from the moment I first
clipped on your leash
(every pull
every strain
every stretch
every smell
every sniff
every stink)
until the moment I let you go.