Dead Pets

the problem with pets: they die.

my life is filled with dead animals, stories of love, loss, emotional attachment, and neglect. we buy pets to care for them, when really, they are the ones caring for us, our emotional deficits and need to be needed. i suppose there exists a genuine love and friendship between man and beast, and this is why hallmark has a small section under "sympathy" for "loss of pet."

my dead pets run the gamut: fish, hamsters, birds, a dog, a gerbil, monitor lizard, iguana, hermit crabs, and hong kong lobsters (fancy term for crayfish). what do they have in common? they were all under my care, and now they are all dead. i currently cannot choose one to focus on for it's late and i have a presentation to give thursday, but i plan to provide portraits of some of these beloved creatures who have gone to the other side.

so, millie, willie, rusty, shweepie, snowy, spirit, roger, cupcake, little mil, big mil, elmo, elvis, and the rest... here's to you.