I Cannot Smile Today

I cannot smile today.

All day,
tears have leaked,

spilled down my face
and under my chin,

a mirror of the rain
pouring outside.

Inside I am mourning
the loss of my feline friend,

and I can’t wait for this overcast day
to end.

Kim M. Russell, 12th January 2026

It’s Monday and, at the dVerse Poets Pub, we are quadrilling with De, who would like us to start the year off with a SMILE. Yes, we are writing poems of exactly 44 words (not counting the title), including one word ‘smile’. #

De has shared smiley quotations, poems and songs, as well as words and phrases we could use.

69 thoughts on “I Cannot Smile Today”

  2. I hope this is fiction. If not, here’s a big hug as I know the feeling. Yesterday I buried a beautiful little bird my cat had killed. I buried it in the same large planter as another little bird I’d tried to heal, next to the place where my kitty companion of 14 years was buried. My entire backyard is filled with the graves of past loved pets or rescues. Every death was devastating.

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    1. Sadly, it’s not fiction, Judy. Mojo was diagnosed with oral cancer in June and given 1-3months, so we were fortunate to have her this long. Thank you for the much needed hugs.

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    1. Thank you so much, Sanaa. I miss her constantly following me around, sitting on my lap and sleeping on the bed with me. I couldn’t sleep at all last night.

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  9. You can be very sure she is smiling at you, trying to console you. Try be consoled by that thought. You’ll probably notice little signs of her, her letting you know she’ll stay with you until you feel better. Much love from the bottom of Africa for your distress.

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