Pet Epitaphs are an intriguing study in human society.
In today’s modern world, where less is often more, a good pet epitaph can simply be a pet’s name, followed by the years of his or her life. “Woody 1999 - 2007.” That may seem simple, or even trite, but it’s the style of pet epitaph chosen by the vast majority of pet owners who create memorials to their pets today. That people would choose to celebrate their beloved pet’s life with such a simple epitaph may disappoint the poets of the world. But poets, by their very nature, will perhaps never be satisfied with the choices their fellow mankind makes. There is no shame in a simple, name-and-dates only pet epitaph, if that’s what you and your family decides upon.
That said some families take steps to add a little more clarity to their pet epitaphs while still keeping it simple. Websites abound in which “sample pet epitaphs” are offered which go just one step beyond the standard name-and-dates pet epitaph. These epitaphs add such phrases such as “Our Beloved Cat,” or “The Cherished German Sheppard.” These pet epitaphs are useful to future generations who may be interested in knowing just what type of animal a deceased pet was. By explaining that as part of the epitaph, a pet owner is helping assure that his or her loving friend will be remembered faithfully -- and accurately -- through the ages. A nice touch for something as simple as a pet epitaph. Again, the poet may be not exactly thrilled with this type of pet epitaph, but only a family can decide what’s appropriate for a memorial befitting its faithful friend.
So, while we wish to stress that there should be no shame in crafting a simple, to the point, epitaph for your pet, the poet will finally be excited to see us say that elaborate, heart-felt tributes make great pet epitaphs. In fact, creating an epitaph poet would be proud of can actually be a therapeutic, and memorable, family experience. Beginning poets often start their obsession with their art at the behest of an inspirational teacher who knows that everyone can be a poet. This teacher, as Robin Williams famous character in Dead Poets Society did, simply encourages his students to let their ideas flow from their head onto paper (or even just into air). Once they are out, the poet-to-be learns quickly to appreciate their beauty and to clamor for more such experiences. Precious, seemingly never ending, poetry results. The family in mourning over a lost pet can do much the same in creating a beautiful epitaph for the lost animal. A leader of the family can simply call the other members around for a meeting, pass out some scraps of paper and ask everyone to jot down a few thoughts about the memory of the pet. After about 5 minutes, the family leader could then collect the scraps and read them anonymously. This method is guaranteed to be the start of a discussion that will lead to the entire family to create a beautiful piece of personal poetry that can serve wonderfully as a pet epitaph.
The most important thing to remember when creating a pet epitaph is to just make sure, no matter what it says, it comes from the heart and is full of love for the memory of your beloved pet.
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its faithful friend.
