Jennings

I walk into the dark building
holding my mother’s and father’s hands tightly
I hide behind my mother more than less
Peeping my little head from behind my mother
I look up and see a little grey teddy bear
His big brown eyes staring deeply into my soul
I'm mesmerised by the big brown bow hanging off his neck
Wandering away from my mother's warm hand
Standing up on my tiptoes to reach him
I pulled him down off the high shelf
“I need to be loved”
The little display bear was almost speaking to me

I get up from my bed and reach into my closet trying to find my grey sweater
Instead I notice Jennings

His deep brown glassy eyes a little scuffed up from the many years of love, grey polar fleece with a small hole in the back of his head
Soft beans at the bottom of your feet and hands helping you to sit up straight
All the memories come flooding back
I held you tight when the storms wouldn’t stop coming,
You hugged me back when I broke my ankle
You stayed by my side on the way to hospital and took some of my pain away
All these memories and so many others
But what hurt you even more than the time Mum had to sew you up after Maverick put you out of commission
Is when I put you right back next to the grey sweater and forgot about you once again.