Jasmine

Jasmine smelled like springtime and bacon
she came to us broken
by the the cement walls and metal collars that enslaved her
she was sad
but perfectly trained
sleeping all day and crying all night

I would bury my face in her warm fur
holding her like she was my own child
too kind to deserve the abuse she got
too humble
too wise
she was old and lonely
until we made her young again

When the flowers bloomed in the spring
she bloomed too
like it was the first time she ever saw the sun
naps began to dwindle
walks turned into runs
when summer came she would swim in the pool
roll in the grass
chase squirrels

with each passing season
I started to see her personality
Jasmine was an old soul
a good heart with a bad past
she understood the world better than any human

Jasmine taught me to live in the moment
take it all in and don't miss an opportunity
she knew her seasons were numbered
but she accepted it and kept living
she was happy

I still remember the way the sun shone on her as she slept
very old
very sick
when she started to shake I held her in my arms
waiting for my mom to get home
her body felt like lead
twenty minutes felt like eternity
I buried my face in her warm fur
as her lungs filled with water

She looked at me and I will never forget
the peace and beauty of that moment
I saw it in her eyes
She understood it was her time to go
she died happy
at peace with the world
forever imprinted onto our lives

She would say that we were the angels that saved her
but she is our guardian angel
she taught us how to take what life throws at you
find the beauty in everything

there is a box in our attic labeled
Jasmine
her blanket still smells like springtime and bacon