There are three components to processing grief: it must be seen, felt, expressed. And one of the most powerful ways you can do all three of these things is through creativity, including writing poems about your pet.
Grief, as heavy as it is, is also incredible beautiful. Because it’s the love you have for your pet, just in a new form now. And that grief is rich soil for creating art, whether through drawings, movement, poetry, etc.
After my cat Squiggles died, I turned to poetry many times to express how I felt in my darkest moments. When I can’t sleep, when I miss her, and when I’m trying to honor her.
There are many poems I have written when I’ve been caught up in my emotions that I will never show to a single soul. But the simple process of getting them out helped. Here is one that I’m comfortable sharing, one night when I was having trouble sleeping without her:
Why Poetry?
Art, whether we observe it or create it, helps us access parts of our grief that words alone sometimes can’t reach. It bypasses logic and speaks straight to the heart.
Writing a poem about your pet isn’t about finding closure. It’s about creating space for how you feel, and perhaps making something beautiful and heartfelt along the way.
Whether you consider yourself a writer or not, poetry is for everyone. It doesn’t have to rhyme. It doesn’t have to be long. And it definitely doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be yours. And if you’re looking for a way to stay connected to your pet, express your sorrow, or simply sit with your feelings, writing a poem can be a powerful way of accessing your emotions.
How to Create A Poem About Your Pet
There really are no rules if you want to create a poem about your pet. The one I shared above was done on my notes app on my phone, in a moment of yearning for Squiggles.
You can always take out your phone anytime and start jotting down how you feel… if metaphors come to mind, add them.
But if you want a bit of guidance for writing a pet poem, try these 3 steps:
Step One: Create a Word Bank
Before you begin writing, create a word bank, of all the little things that remind you of your pet, or express how you feel.
Grab a sheet of paper or open a blank document, and write down:
- Things you remember your pet doing
- Favorite nicknames or funny habits
- Scents, textures, sounds your pet made
- Feelings you’re carrying
- Colors or seasons that remind you of them
- Anything in nature that comes to mind
- Their favorite items, like a toy or a leash
- Whatever random thoughts come to mind
This is a container for memories, metaphors, and emotion. It doesn’t have to look pretty or make much sense. Let each word spark a new idea, and don’t worry too much about what comes up.
Step Two: Warm Up with a Haiku
I love starting with Haikus, because they’re a low pressure way to get your creativity flowing.
In case you can’t remember exactly what Haiku is, it’s a 3-line poem that follows this simple structure:
- 5 syllables
- 7 syllables
- 5 syllables
You don’t need to follow it perfectly. The point is to ease into writing. To observe. To feel. To rev your engines a bit.
Examples:
The face of an angel
Stretch your arms up to the sky
Never forget me
The black night without
your soft fur and gentle purr
shatters my heart now.
Step Three: Try writing a longer poem
Once you’ve written a few haikus, try writing a longer poem about your pet. This is where the word bank comes in. Take a look at some of the things you jotted down, and see what flows out of you.
Here are a few poetry prompts to help you begin:
- “The day we met…”
- “If I could hold you again, I would…”
- “You always…”
- “Now, I imagine you…”
- “You make the world feel like…”
- “This is what I miss most…”
You can use these as first lines, or to get your thoughts moving. And remember, when it comes to poetry, there are no rules. Your poem:
- can be long or short
- rhyme or not rhyme
- can use similes, metaphors, and nature
- can be shared or kept to yourself
- can use proper grammar and spelling or not
- can be happy or sad, angry, or hopeful
By the way, I wrote a poem about my experience with pet loss, called It’s All The Same Forest, that I turned into a 32-page book, with a whole guided poetry exercise in the back.
It will be released very soon, so make sure to sign up here to be on this list. The first 50 backers will be getting a very special surprise.
You can also click here to get notified for the launch on Kickstarter.
Pro tip: Set a 7-Minute Timer
Sometimes the hardest part is getting started. So I recommend setting a timer for 7 minutes.
What often happens? After a few minutes, you’ll be on a roll. Sometimes, I get everything out in one go and I like what I’ve written. Other times, I come back to it and make changes until it feels just right.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just see what comes up in 7 minutes, and if you want to go for longer, by all means, please do!
Some Final Thoughts
Your poem doesn’t have to be polished. It only needs to feel true to you.
If you’d like to share your poem, I invite you to do so below.
If you do want to share your poem, you are more than welcome to do so below.
And of course, you’re welcome to join our community, The Furever Forest, and share it there as well. We often host creative healing workshops where you can work on a poem in real time with our community.
If you wrote a poem about your pet, I invite you to share it below.
And if you want more guidance for how to write a poem about your pet, make sure to sign up here to get updates on my book, It’s All The Same Forest.