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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Walking the Dog


Pulling her now, by the throat, from whatever

may distract her — squirrels, runners, a ball

bouncing, birds in the grass — a clean jerk

of the leather loop, buckle and chain,

tethered shortly to his side,

if that's anything like

what we need from each other — loyalty, or

the right kind of focus — to anchor the leash

in his left, the other to grip more gently

for slack, should she need it,

to nose in the dirt,

or to yank her from another, more fierce, who

would end her — to know a jump or the faintest

growl means another quick snap — Hey, that's not

how you say hello . . . him saying, as if she were a child.




3 comments:

  1. This is so nice--very satisfying. The voice is a bit different. It's not ethereal; it's very grounded. And you even managed to get a squirrel in there!

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  2. And yet I like the subtle sense of allegory to the imagery. And the "you" of your poems is really powerful ("if that's anything like / what we need from each other")...the way the poem's eye turns from an object/event to the other.

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    Replies
    1. I'm happy that this came through - this maybe not-so-subtle allegory, which I'm learning from guys like Carl Phillips.

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