Uncanine
©November 25th, 2017
By Vijaya Sundaram
The awareness of the canine
In the other room haunts me.
Her heart beat strong and steady earlier
Today, when, reaching down, I wound
My arms around her in a sudden
Excess of affection and guilt.
Her dark eyes looked blank,
And yawning hugely, she wagged her tail,
Her intention clear: “Let me out!
I have a raccoon to investigate!”
She looks at me, knows more,
So much more than I can fathom,
She knows my tone and strange griefs,
And although they are strange to her,
She is always there, stolid and unsentimental.
I stand humble and ashamed before her.
I know I she deserves more.
Does she? She lives in the present,
As I do, but only I hear the ticking
Of the clock, and of our heartbeats.
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