Advice to the Dog Sitter
       

Remember the house key
is never where you left it

remember the pull of the leash
and how it reminds you
of the long sinew of muscle

remember how to zip your coat
with one hand

remember he is a stray
that he has only been with us
for thirty six days

remember sometimes
he does not believe
the truth in the cracks of night
or that we will wake
in the morning
and offer sustenance

remember how your whole self
can be found in the fur
at the underside of his neck

remember that language
is the illusion of intimacy
how a tepid silence
has a buoyancy of its own

remember there is mercy
in your broken hands
and he will pull from you
whatever you have to offer

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Copyright © 2016 Connie Post All rights reserved
from Floodwater
Glass Lyre Press
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission