By: Ella Keenan
Once young and bright
Your formerly pink, blush fur
Now matted and gray
From all those late nights
Protecting me until day
Stuffing now lost
From countless hugs,
Trips, and washes
Now your back is curved
To fit under the crook of my chin
Your short, clumped fur
Once lavish and bright
Though faded,
Still soft and soothing
Like a feathery pillow against my skin
Your gentle aroma
Only noticeable by me
Releases gusts of my childhood
Smelling like laughter and play
Your light brown nose
On the tip of your pure white snout
That could once pass as a mound
Of freshly fallen snow from the wintry sky
Now dusted with gray
But still manages to retain its softness
Due to endless kisses
Causing it to feel like velvet under my skin
You were always there
In every moment
From when I was on cloud nine
To when I felt like I hit rock bottom
Your floppy ears
Danced in the air
When you soared
Around the room
Like an angel
In my arms
The top of your head
Has absorbed what feels to be
Waterfalls of tears
Over what seems to be
Endless years
And although invisible
To the human eye
I can see your compassionate, tender smile
From light-years away
You watch the days go by
Watching all the endless dawns
Of morning rays
Followed by ceaseless sunsets
Revealing the lavish night sky
Each day, you sit and look back
On the good old days
The days where we would do nothing
But sit and play
Now,
You sit at home alone
From the crack of dawn
To the pitch black of night
I see you watching from the shelf
With pity in the black voids
You call eyes
I sometimes hear you
Call out in sorrow
As our laughable moments
Slip away
Day by day
Years go by
Less laughter
Less tears
You wonder where you will be
In the next few years
You watch the scary movies
From your spot in my room
You watch in awe
As I no longer pear over the covers,
No longer hiding my face with fear
You realize that I no longer
See the shadows of the trees outside
As monsters
From under my bed
You watch as I no longer
Jump from chair to chair
Fearing the floor
Is a pool of lava
Waiting to sear my skin
All you see now
Is my lifeless room
Until the day’s chaos slows
And the late night starts to show
Except now,
When I leave in the morning
I can almost hear the faint whisper
Of your non-existent voice
Soothing, gentle
Softly begging me to stay
Although worn with age
Your once pink, blush fur
Now matted and gray
From all those nights
Protecting me until day
Then it dawned upon you
No one could love you
The same way
Ella, your poem was very well written with a lot of detail. Your poem was very specific and had a good story line.
I love the third stanza of your poem. The way you described your stuffed animals appearance was very cool.
One line that stood out to me was “I can almost hear the faint whisper of your non existent voice.” This line stood out to me because it puts all of the pieces together in your poem. It shows that when you got older your stuffed animal was sad, but you used good details and choice of words.
I love this poem it is about something everyone can relate to. I like the end where you say “no one could love you, the same way.” I actually think I might sleep with my stuffed animal tonight. Thank you so much! This is such a spectacular poem!
i love how you described you appearance of your favorite stuffed animal