adios, senor pablo

it's like a grief-and-loss marathon around here.

this afternoon, pablo leon del norte,
prince of catalonia,
our beloved little teddy bear in a cat suit
left this life.

just a couple of days ago we were saying
how agile and graceful he'd grown
since he came into our lives
on 7.25.2004.

back then, he was all ears, whiskers,
paws, and tail. but he grew into them.
now we only wish we'd realized
that he could get so sick, so fast.

he was a beautiful, affectionate,
highly communicative creature
who gave lots of love and amused us with his antics
(both real and those we imagined for him).

now i can't walk around my house
without seeing him everywhere
and i reckon he'll stay in my dreams for awhile:
"lo-o-ok, meezlady, now i can fly for real!"

goodnight, sweet boy.

we love you forever, with all our hearts.