I've always loved the story of the Rainbow Bridge. But I felt something was
missing: Deep down, I wanted it to be a poem. The whole idea just felt like
poetry  it just needed a bit of coaxing.
 
So one day I decided to try to turn the story into a poem. I asked my wife,
Diane, to help me with it, and here's what we came up with:
 
 The Rainbow Bridge
 
 By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,
 Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
 Where the friends of man and woman do run,
 When their time on earth is over and done.
 
 For here, between this world and the next
 Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
 On this golden land, they wait and they play,
 Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.
 
 No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
 For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
 Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
 Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.
 
 They romp through the grass, without even a care,
 Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.
 All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
 Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.
 
 For just at that instant, their eyes have met;
 Together again, both person and pet.
 So they run to each other, these friends from long past,
 The time of their parting is over at last.
 
 The sadness they felt while they were apart,
 Has turned into joy once more in each heart.
 They embrace with a love that will last forever,
 And then, side-by-side, they cross over together.
 
 S 1998 Steve and Diane Bodofsky. All Rights Reserved.
   Reprinted by Permission.
 
We were so happy with the results, we enlisted the aid of a graphic artist,
and he and I worked together to create a picture to depict the story. We
then combined the graphic and poem into a poster and a sympathy card.
 
To see the new poster and sympathy cards, stop in at our new web site:
www.newrainbowbridge.com
 
Steve Bodofsky
The New Rainbow Bridge
Cyber-Home of the Last Chance Ferret Rescue
[Posted in FML issue 2473]