I remember how happy I was to go home with you.
I was sick but I was happy.
When you held me, I fell safe,
no matter the heavy rain,
no matter the crowded station,
just you and I, together.

I'm sorry I left so early,
but my destiny was made like this.
It was written in the book of life,
that I shall meet you,
and be with you, for those two days.

In my little small world,
you were the most important for me.
I will always remember the sound of your heart,
and the warmth of your chest
when you held me at night.

Thank you for taking care of me,
Thank you for loving me.
I am waiting for you here,
by the rainbow bridge, do you know?
From here, I will always look for you.

picture and content below extracted from: http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm

Over The Rainbow Bridge

Author Unknown

Just this side of Heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food and water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they miss someone very special to them who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. The bright eyes are intent, the eager body quivers. Suddenly she begins to break away from the group, flying over the green grass, her legs carrying her faster and faster. YOU have been spotted and when you and your special friend finally meet you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face, your hands again caress her beloved head and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you pass over Rainbow Bridge together....

Mika, Beautiful Aroma, Are you sleeping now? Are you playing? Are you hungry? Where are you, dear Mika?

You were so cute, You were so small, So fragile and so young, Why my little Mika?

When you first came here, you immediately felt at home. I'll always remember when you hid inside my boots, I wont forget how you would follow me, and wig your tail hello, How come, dear Mika?

Your small barks, Your little paws, Your big eyes, your small ears. You loved to be hugged, I loved to hug you, Can you still remember, my Mika?

You slept on my chest because nothing else seemed to calm you, then you seemed at peace and for an instance, nothing else seemed to matter. I can still feel your whiskers on my chest. Can you still hear my heartbeat, Mika?

You looked at me and at once I fell in love. In your small little world and in your own little way, was I important for you too, my little Mika?


Mika, But then, how could I fail you? I'm so sorry I couldn't take care of you. I'm so sorry I was so late in helping you. I'm so sorry your life was so short. I'm so sorry I failed you. I'm so very sorry. I hope you forgive me, one day, my Mika.

Mika, Mika, those two days, for as short as they were in my lifetime, I will never ever forget. You will always and forever have a place in my heart. I miss you, Can you tell, Mika? Can you tell I am crying, Mika? Now, can you feel my tears on your little nose?

Mika, Mika, I know, you are in Heaven now, where nothing and nobody can ever hurt you again. No more crying, no more tears. I imagine you are now playing happily and from there, looking at me, because I know, i know you miss me too. Shall we meet again and you give me another chance, I promise you. I will be by your side, my Mika, beautiful aroma, sweetie pie. I love you Mika. I'll always will. Until we meet again, Mika...

A beautiful girl named Leska

Leska, Leskita, Leskachan, you always knew all these names referred to you. When you were born, I was far away but suddenly during a summer vacation back at home, I saw you. A little dog with white hair, always happy and joyful. You had a problem with one of your back legs, and because of this, you would limp a little, but you never seemed to care, you were so fast to run, always. But it was not until later that I got used to see you everyday and really get to know you.

I know, after our mom died, your life, Sally's, Peki's and mine, changed completely. Do you remember that gloomy, dark day still? How everything can change so quick in just a second. I'm sorry Leskita, I never imagined we would live such a horrible nightmare in this lifetime. But it happened to us. It was true, that dark day really occurred and suddenly, there was nobody to really take care of you, of us. I don't know how you were able to survive during the time I was away. But I was so happy to see all of you when I returned back from school.

But your life didn't improve. You still lived the life of a 'dog', barred from entering the house when you wanted, seldom going anywhere and receiving very little affection from anyone. Perhaps your life was like that of Gregory's in Kafka's "Metamorphosis", yes, I am sure. Only when nobody was around, could I let you all in. And some sundays, you could enjoy a bath, do you remember this? It was only after our Sally left us, that you had a small chance to enjoy life like a happy family and for this I am so sorry. I cannot explain in detail why things were so difficult before, but I know you understand me. When Sally left, you were so sad inside, she was your only true friend for many years. Who would look after you? Who would hold you? Who would you cuddle with during the cold nights? Who would tell you it was time to sleep? Leskita, I know you worried about these, and then nothing else mattered. It didn't matter if somebody would scream at us anymore. You came inside the house since then.

Do you remember how you would escape and run so fast so nobody could catch you?
Do you remember the trip to Paracas and how the park rangers said we couldn't go inside the park because we had a dog? I thought to myself, this is ridiculous, with all the garbage some people throw there, you are concerned about my Leskita? With all the illegal fishing, you are concerned about a little dog? But I was not worried, shall they would have denied us the admission, I was prepared to go around, afterall, we had an all wheel drive car, remember? At the beach, you ran and made new friends. Do you remember the bird next to you? He was quiet, oh you were always so good to make new friends, weren't you? I still remember the sand and the wind on your hair; your footprints on the sandy beach and your smile, yes, I think you were smiling, weren't you?

Do you remember that big lump that grew under your belly? When the Easter holidays arrived and everybody was getting ready to go on a camping trip, I wanted to take you along. We had planned this together. Without you, I said, i would not go. At the end, you came too. Poor you, old little dog but it was more important to be together, don't you agree? And I can't believe some people could actually recommended we say goodbye to you. How insensitive and stupid humans can be. You were strong enough to survive the operation and I was so happy to see you again. Leskita, I know you lived because you loved us and by all means, wanted to be with us.

I remember how you always wanted to go out and walk around the block. You were so happy always, barked at everybody hello and goodbye. You were small but always so protective of us. You wore your small collection of clothing. There was your favorite, a pink and yellow fannel shirt with flowers, do you remember it Leskita? But I have always been so sorry that you didn't go out enough times. Sometimes I thought you lived for this.

When you got sick suddenly, I never had the chance to say goodbye to you. I was far away, but I heard your pain over the phone. And I was heartbroken. I cried, as I am crying now. I love you, I will never forget you. I'm so thankful that such a good dog came to me and filled my life with happiness. You always are inside my heart and will be so for the rest of my life. I remember that merry white dog with big eyes, barking at me, waiting for me to get home and playing in the couch. I remember her, small, caring and always smiling back. This was your gift of life; your small world was us. You always believed, you always cared that a hug could solve everything. My Leskita, I carry you within me, your spirit is with always with me. I will never ever forget you. No matter how many dogs may come to my life again, you will always be my dog. Do you know all this?

---

Michi, my beautiful cat

Name
Michiko

Nicknames
Michi, Michikito, Michikitochan, Michikochan

Age
14 years

Birthplace
North Lawrence, Kansas, U.S.A.


Foes :


Chobi Rambo Marimo (& Pushkin)


Marimo (and Pushkin)
and any stranger


Michi, A 6 toed girl cat
"Michi", my beautiful cat, your paws are big beca






use you have 6 toes on each one of them. I named you after the word children use in some Spanish speaking countries to call a cat: "michi, michi". Also, since you are a girl, I thought I could call you "Michiko" (美智子) because this name means "beautiful and smart girl", and this couldn't be more accurate to describe you. I guess officially this is your name, but I still prefer to call you "Michi" because it is shorter. Sometimes, I also call you "Michikito", which in Spanish means "Little Michiko", my little one.

Michi arrives
You were born in 1994 in North Lawrence, Kansas. Your dad, like you, had big 6 toed paws. Of the litter, you were the last kitten left. You came to me inside a shoe box. You could fit on the palm of my hand. You were unlike any other kitten I had seen before, because you were so thin and had little hair. But you were very sweet and liked to play hide and seek. I am sorry, I don't have pictures of when you were small because I was poorer than now and didn't have a camera. Also digital cameras were very rare back then.

Hide and Seek
I remember you were already trained when you arrived. In a small cookie tray, I put some sand and you already knew what it meant. The first time I thought you got lost, I couldn't find you during the whole day. But you had found a hole under my old couch and were sleeping inside of it. How funny you thought all this was, I was running desperately everywhere to find you and called your name so many times until you finally revealed your hideout. All the time, you knew, you knew I was looking for you, you silly.

Your friend, Bunny
Do you remember Bunny? Bunny was an albino rabbit. For some reason, one of Bunny's ears was always folded down. He came home before you with a big cage, the one Bunny was so excited to see it thrown away the day we moved out. I got Bunny because nobody wanted him anymore at the child care center where he lived as a pet. Bunny had another name, "Jack", but before you were even born, I changed his name to "Bunny". I know, I couldn't have been more original. He liked to escape outside of his cage, he loved to roam free. And you loved to sleep next to him. How many times I saw you curling with Bunny, but you may not remember this.

As you grew up, you learned to hide behind the doors. I remember you would surprise passers-by and bite them really hard on the shoes or legs or jump in front of them with your front paws up, like a big bear trying to scare someone away. Somehow you had learned how to jump like Bunny.

Missing in the winter
One day during your first winter, you were suddenly missing. It was snowing outside and I couldn't think where you could be. Two days later and still missing, when I was coming back from work at night, I saw something small cross my path like a sudden flash in the basement of the apartment building at 15th street. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was small and it was fast. Later at home, it clicked me. Somehow you had escaped outside of the apartment. The little something that had flashed in front of me, was you. I went to the basement and I found you there. Hiding in the storage rooms. I was so happy to see you again, did you know? I worried about you so much.

I am sorry I took you to the doctor to fix you. Because of this, you cant have babies. I know, my darling, you were never the same sweet cat you were before. I am so sorry and I hope one day you will forgive me.

Our trip to New York City
When it was time to move to NYC, you and Bunny, each had its own pet taxi. In the car, all night you cried and cried, until finally, 2 days later, we arrived to NYC. Our Honda was so loyal, it had over 135,000 miles on it. And it never, never failed us. Happily, we arrived to Queens and you could get out of the car.


A long long trip to SouthAmerica
When it was time to move to South America, you came too. You and Bunny. I got you both an airplane ticket. You had never before in your life gotten in an airplane, but Michi, we couldn't drive there, the distance was too far and one day, we sold the Honda, as it was no longer useful for us in NYC. We said goodbye to that good old car.

I really believe you have spent your happiest days in South America, because you could roam freely. Bunny was happy too, I am sure, until one day he disappeared. I will never know exactly what happened to him and I don't want to think too much. But you know, I miss him. The reason why he came with us was you. Before we began our long trip, I thought maybe I should let Bunny go free. I had seen some woods around the Meadowbrooks apartments, and I often thought Bunny would be happy there. I never wanted him to go to the animal shelter or "humane society", because I knew he wouldn't have a chance to survive there. Then one day, I saw you play with him and I realized he was your friend. So I never questioned it anymore. Bunny came too. So many years later, I am sure Bunny is dead, but you and I, we both know, he is alive in our hearts forever. Do you remember him always eating a carrot?

Again, Missing!
I remember the time you disappeared for almost one week. I put signs in the neighborhood, offered a reward, asked many people if they had seen you. One night, I saw in the corner of a small room in somebody else's house, your little face looking at me. I know you had been looking at me all this time, waiting for me to come rescue you. The next day, I went to see the neighbor and told him I had seen you inside his storage room. We were reunited and I don't think since then, you have ever gotten lost.

A new home
When we moved to the new apartment, I know, things changed. Now you don't have the space to roam free. You are always inside the apartment and never go out anymore. Because of this, now you have gained a lot of weight. But sometimes I see flashes of my old Michi when I see you running wildly across the rooms, playing soccer with the cap of a bottle or watching to catch birds on the TV screen. I know Michi, the new LCD TV is yours, just like everything else in the apartment. Everything is yours. I know.

Michi, I love you. It will soon be 13 years together. Your personality has always been, deep inside, the same, you have not changed. You do not settle for things you don't like. Like me, if you think somebody is not true, you show your discontent. If you believe something is unfair, you growl. You are opinionated, stubborn and independent. But deep inside, a good cat. And you understand compassion, as you were with Yemci and Leska when it was time for them to leave us. You were there for them too, you knew the pain and suffering we had. During this time, you have always been there for me, from college until now. Without you, how could I imagine life? Michi, my black and white cat, I often think of you. Do you know? I miss you terribly.