Ode to Two Dead Hamsters

I found you in your plastic home,
As I came back to mine.
This was where you romped around
And slept away your time.
This is where the flies hung out
When I forgot to clean your cage.
And this is where we sometimes watched
The passing of your days.
You looked so peaceful as I passed.
I thought you were just sleeping.
But then a closer, chilling look
Told me you were not breathing.
So I broke down to tell the child
Of your eternal end.
She did not weep; she did not find
The news to be a burden.
Still hearts wore hard as I dug your grave.
The act was paralyzing.
But I can see the cycle of life,
For now you're fertilizing.

++Please take a moment of silence for the bravest and most ill-treated hamsters in America, Butterscotch and Feisty Fudge. They were annoying to feed and smelly to keep in the house, yet who would have ever wished such a death on them? We are just so glad that they died at, presumably, the exact same time, so neither of them faced the grief of losing the other. It's hard to accept this loss of life, but we know they are in a better, more convenient place. Thank you for all your flowers, cards, prayers, love and support to our family in this difficult time. May you each experience the community that you've showed to us. Buddha bless you.++