Rainbow Bridge
The Rainbow Bridge poem: its story, and a Rainbow Bridge poem you can print
The Rainbow Bridge is the place many people picture when a pet dies: a green meadow just this side of heaven where animals are young and well again, waiting for the person they loved. The idea comes from a short prose poem that has been shared millions of times.
Below you will find what the poem says, who wrote it, whether you can print it, and two Rainbow Bridge poems of our own, for a dog and for a cat, that you can print, share or turn into a portrait.
What the Rainbow Bridge poem says
In the poem, when a pet dies it goes to a meadow next to a bridge. There is food, water and sunshine, and every animal is healthy again. They play together, but each one misses someone left behind.
One day a pet stops, looks into the distance, and runs: its person has arrived. They meet, and cross the bridge together. That reunion is why the poem comforts so many people, and why "crossing the Rainbow Bridge" became the usual way to say a pet has died.
Who wrote the Rainbow Bridge poem?
For years the poem was shared as "author unknown", and several people claimed it. In 2023 the historian Paul Koudounaris published the research that most sources now accept: it was written in Scotland in 1959 by Edna Clyne-Rekhy, after the death of her dog Major. She kept it private for decades, and the text spread without her name.
An American grief counselor, Paul C. Dahm, has also said he wrote a version in the early 1980s and holds a copyright on it.
Can I print the Rainbow Bridge poem?
The original poem is not in the public domain, so we do not reproduce it here or print it on our portraits. For a printed memorial, use your own words, or the poems below: we wrote them on the same idea and you can use them freely.
A Rainbow Bridge poem for a dog, free to print
On the other side
Use these words in a portrait →Somewhere past the rain there is a meadow,
green and warm and wide,
where every old dog runs again
and no one is left outside.
They chase the light, they doze in sun,
their aches are left behind,
and now and then they lift their heads
for someone on their mind.
So rest, my friend, and run until
the evening turns to gold,
and when I reach the bridge at last,
come running, as of old.
A Rainbow Bridge poem for a cat
The sunny side
Use these words in a portrait →Across the bridge the light is soft,
the windowsills are wide,
and every cat who left too soon
sleeps on the sunny side.
No vet, no rain, no closing door,
just warmth and time to spare,
and when I come, you’ll stretch and blink
as if I’d just been there.
Short Rainbow Bridge lines for a portrait or a card
- See you at the Rainbow Bridge
- Until we meet at the bridge
- Wait for me at the Rainbow Bridge
- Run free across the Rainbow Bridge
- Over the bridge and into the sun
- See you on the other side, sweet friend
Questions
What does "crossed the Rainbow Bridge" mean?
It is a gentle way of saying a pet has died, from the Rainbow Bridge poem: the pet waits in a meadow by the bridge until its person comes, and they cross together.
Who wrote the original Rainbow Bridge poem?
Most sources now credit Edna Clyne-Rekhy, who wrote it in Scotland in 1959 after her dog Major died (research published by Paul Koudounaris in 2023). Paul C. Dahm has also claimed authorship of a version.
Is there a printable Rainbow Bridge poem?
The poems on this page are ours and free to print for any personal memorial. The original is protected by copyright.
Is the Rainbow Bridge religious?
No. It is a story of comfort, not a teaching of any faith, which is why people of every belief and none share it.