My little Heartbeat Tossed about in the ocean of life so young until finally you anchored on the shore of my soul. We have traveled many years and miles together You and I We have curled together in fear and desolation, Yet you always had a precious kiss for my cheek You slept against my heart until recently. You would dance a merry little dance of joy and we often compared you to a circus dog when you and your friend would do your little dance of joy to tell us you were ready for a walk. How beautiful you were, with your black satin coat gleeming and your perfect little ears and tail held up high, eyes so bright and happy, tail curling slightly frontwards. How dainty you looked in sleep with your precious head perched so prim and proper on your two delicate front feet. How perfectly you fit curled into a snug ball against me until our hearts beat in serene unison. How loving you were through all my years Years of pain, deprivation, heartache and despair Yet always you were there, a tiny little fragile heartbeat telling me life was still worth living And now I must face each rising sun with the knowledge that never again will I feel the warmth of your breath on my palm That never again will I be able to gather you softly to my heart For my little heartbeat is stilled Stilled and frozen in time As the one who cannot live without you Is the one who had to send you into that other realm, and now must go on alone, living with that knowledge, until at last I can once again lie down with you in my arms and in my heart, ask your forgiveness for what I had to do out of love, and feel once again the joy of my Little Heartbeat Bea, my beloved, you are still with me