The first Wednesday evening of this month, (October 3, 2018) our family’s Great Dane passed away peacefully resting under a cedar tree. His body had been breaking down; it was his time. Dakar had lived a full life, longer than expected for his breed. Even though he was no longer physically with us, I still felt his presence into the next day. It led me to contemplate the paradoxical nature of death and wrote this tanka for him that next morning as a way to try and understand this temporary contradiction, and express what I was feeling at the time.
Maybe some of you have had a similar experience after losing a loved one—a pet, a close friend, or a family member. I read this out this morning at a Death Café after hearing other people describe their experiences of grief, and unexpected surprises when a loved one passed. It was healing for all of us to share.
The Temporary Paradox of Death in Life
A tanka for Dakar on his passing
Silence, Peacefulness
A Fullness of Emptiness
Feeling you still here
An Absence of your Presence
A Presence of your Absence
© Ken Chawkin
October 27, 2018
Fairfield, Iowa
The Uncarved Blog 