This year for HBM 2025, Goliath Was Bigfoot is performing a piece stirred by the grief and guilt we carry when the animals we share our lives with -including the wild ones-pass on. As their caretakers and fellow earth dwellers, these creatures enrich our lives in ways that humans sometimes cannot; unconditional love, emotional support, reducing feelings of loneliness and numerous measured health benefits. Yet, we often fail them. And when they leave us, we often suffer from feelings of failure. Did we do enough? Did we hold on too long? Did we give them their best life? Their impact on our lives is eternal and immeasurable. Our piece "The Possum's Lament/Merilee" celebrates these relationships while also facing these complex feelings of guilt, grief and failure and sometimes cruelty.