Read it slowly. Millions of grieving owners have found in these lines a gentle picture of a companion made whole again, happy, and waiting. There is no wrong way to let it comfort you.
The Rainbow Bridge poem, in full
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, 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 each 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. Their bright eyes are intent. Their eager body quivers. Suddenly they begin to run from the group, flying over the green grass, their legs carrying them 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 the 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 cross Rainbow Bridge together.
Author: Edna Clyne-Rekhy, written 1959. Shared anonymously for decades.
Printing or framing the poem
To keep a copy, select the full poem above, then use your browser's print option (File then Print, or Ctrl+P, or Cmd+P on a Mac) and choose to print the selection. Many families frame it beside a photo, tuck it into a memory box, or read it at a goodbye ceremony. You are welcome to print it for personal, non-commercial keepsake use.
Where the poem came from
For most of its life the Rainbow Bridge poem had no known author. It passed from person to person through the 1980s and 1990s, printed on cards, pinned to veterinary notice boards, and later shared endlessly online, always without a name attached. Over the years a few people were credited, but none could be confirmed.
In 2023, art historian Paul Koudounaris traced the poem to Edna Clyne-Rekhy of Scotland, who says she wrote it in 1959 as a teenager, grieving her Labrador Retriever named Major. Reported by National Geographic, her account is the most credible attribution we have. Because the poem was copied and reworded so many times, the many versions in circulation differ slightly, and the one above is the version most widely read today.
More words of comfort
If these lines speak to you, you may find more that does. Explore our gathered comforting pet loss quotes, longer poems for the loss of a pet, or brief memorial quotes for a plaque. For everything in one place, visit the quotes, poems, and sympathy hub or our full pet loss and grief guides.
However you picture what comes after, may this poem bring you a moment of peace.