Today's poem is by Wyn Cooper

Grief Dog
       

I keep thinking of dogs, of how I could use
      some company, a breathing thing
to fill the space you left, the sound of the door
      you slammed still in my ears,
the smell of your perfume still in the air.

I keep thinking of names I might give my new pet,
      Sad Dog, Grief Dog, names that bounce
off the ceiling, wag their way down the hall
      to the room with the bed I can't sleep in.

I keep thinking of the movie I saw last night,
      the one with the dog who runs in circles,
its bark no match for its bite, how it grips
      the leg of its owner and won't let go,
teeth that dig into meat it misses.

I keep thinking of my neighbor, not a Miss
      or a Ms. but a Mrs., how in winter
she dresses her dog in a sweater that matches
      her coat, how she walks down the sidewalk
unaware of the stares of those who pass by,
      how the dog seems embarrassed, won't look
in anyone's eyes. And neither will I.

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Copyright © 2023 Wyn Cooper All rights reserved
from Rattle
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission