His body lie stiff on the carpet,
there was nothing more I could do
but stay there and tell him I loved him,
and share our penultimate adieu.

His eyes began filming over,
staring blankly into the air.
And his breathing was heavily labored;
the sound was one I could not bear.

His mouth ajar ever so slightly,
his rasping, hot breath on my face.
The only consoling notion
was that soon he would be in his place.

The seconds seemed to count for hours,
minutes turned to years.
And as he took his final breath,
his eyes filled up with tears.

I closed them and I listened
but the air was calm and still.
His heart, it beat no longer;
my own tears began to spill.

But one fact about his passing
that set his death apart:
until his final moment,
he had purred with all his heart.

(February 13th, 2011)