“The Rainbow Bridge” by Unknown

Ever since humans have become aware of our own mortality, we have wondered what happens to us when we die. Do we slip away into a mindless oblivion, or do we go someplace beautiful and special? Does our behavior during life determine what will happen to us after death? We also wonder if we will be reunited with the ones we loved in life, human and otherwise. “The Rainbow Bridge” is a short prose poem about greeting our pets who have died before us.

The origins of “The Rainbow Bridge” are a little murky. The author is unknown, but the most likely suspect is Paul Dahm, a grief counselor who wrote a book of the same name in 1998. Dahm probably wrote the poem in the early 1980s.

One thing is certain about “The Rainbow Bridge.” By the early 1990s it had gone viral. Grieving pet owners found solace in it and passed it along to their friends, who in turn passed it along to theirs. Many pet loss support group make reference to “The Rainbow Bridge” in the groups’ names.

The poem begins with one simple sentence: “Just this side of heaven is a place called the Rainbow Bridge.” It continues:

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 that they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

The poem goes on to explain how animals who exist at Rainbow Bridge have been made whole and healthy. Old animals return to the prime of life. Injured and sick animals are healed. The animals run and play with each other all day. The only thing that keeps them from complete happiness is that they miss a special human being. Then, one day,

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

Your pet has sensed your approach. After an emotion-filled reunion, you and your pet cross the Rainbow Bridge together and live happily through eternity.

Credit: huffingtonpost.com

“The Rainbow Bridge” isn’t a perfect poem. Some of the writing is over the top, and the structure lacks discipline. Still, the author has chosen a topic and a way of expressing it that touches the heart.

No one knows what happens to us after we die, but as someone who has lost animal companions, I hope that there really is a Rainbow Bridge. There are several pets with whom I would love to spend eternity.