If I could hold you again

 If I could hold you again,

I would hold you longer this time.
No rushing. No letting go.
Just breathing you in,
feeling your heartbeat against mine,
and memorizing every detail of your warmth.

I would whisper every thank you.
Every “I love you.”
Every word that grief sometimes makes me feel I left unsaid.

But though my arms are empty now,
my heart is not.
You live there. Always.

And one day, when my own journey ends,
I know I’ll see you bounding toward me.
Tail wagging, eyes bright,
body whole and free again.

And when I wrap my arms around you,
the wait will finally be over.
I’ll hold you again—
not for a moment,
but for forever.