Where the Collar Lies

 Where the Collar Lies…

that’s where my heart always returns.

I see it by the door. Still. Silent. Waiting.
Once, it was your crown, your joyful badge of belonging. The sound of its jingle meant home was alive. It meant love had four paws.

Now, it lies on the floor like a question I cannot answer. How do you live in a world where the leash hangs loose, where the bowl stays empty, where the nights are too quiet?

Sometimes, I kneel beside it and cry into the leather. I whisper your name into the silence. And though you don’t run to me, something happens…
A warmth. A presence. A memory that feels almost like touch.

I imagine you now, free of collars, free of leashes. Running through meadows that never end, with wings I cannot see but somehow feel. I picture the Rainbow Bridge lined with pawprints, and I know… you are there. Whole. Joyful. Waiting.

And one day, when my own journey is done, I will hear it again—that perfect jingle of your collar. And this time, it won’t fall silent.

Until then, I’ll keep it safe.
Because where the collar lies… so does forever.