This poem is a love letter to Lewa Tui, my dog, my alleyway companion in Seoul and my soft-furred anchor in America. She’s taught me how to see, how to pause, notice, breathe, and chase the small joys. Every alley, café, fountain, and shortcut we’ve shared is stitched with memory and affection. This isn’t just about a pet; it’s about the kind of friendship that shapes you, softens time, and speaks in a language of love.

Writing with her poetry cohort, Slippery Joy, Kelly Travis has been part of Unfurling at the Speed of Trust with Tracy Rittmueller since 2021. Her poetry, appearing in AGATES Poetry Journal and Lake Country Journal, explores survival, grief, and reclamation through the quiet, luminous rituals that carry us onward.