Read these at whatever pace feels kind. A poem does not ask you to feel better; it simply sits beside you and says, in gentler words than you have right now, that this love was real.
Start with the Rainbow Bridge
The most beloved verse in pet loss is the Rainbow Bridge poem, which imagines a meadow where pets who have died wait, healthy and happy, for a joyful reunion. Because so many families read it first, we have given it its own page with the full text and its history. Read the complete Rainbow Bridge poem, then return here for shorter verses.
Short verses to read or share
If I Should Wait
If I should wait beyond the hill,
where the grass is soft and the days are still,
do not grieve too long for me;
I am running now, and I am free.
The Quiet House
The house is quiet where you used to be,
the bowl put away, the leash on its hook.
But love does not leave with the sound of your feet;
it stays in every corner I look.
Only Gone Ahead
You are not lost to me, only gone ahead,
to a warm patch of sun and an easy breath.
I will carry you gently in all that I do,
until the day I come walking to you.
You are welcome to read these verses at a memorial, write them in a card, or keep them close. Feel free to change a word so a line fits your companion by name.
More gentle language
For shorter lines, see our comforting pet loss quotes or memorial quotes for a plaque. If you are writing to someone who is grieving, our guide to what to write in a pet sympathy card can help. Explore the full quotes and sympathy hub or all pet loss and grief guides.
Let someone else's words hold you for a moment. That is what they are for.