I started writing again
Because of
My dog Freddy.
Always for me waiting
To go outside
And play catch
Or Frisbee.
When he rests
To chew
A marrow bone
I write.
Yesterday I took my cat
Nadine to the vet.
There I met Dottie.
Her owner said to me
“I don’t think she’ll be coming home with me.
She hasn’t eaten for days.
She’s diabetic. I haven’t been
Able to give her insulin.
She hasn’t drank a drop
In days. Her brother is
At home. My daughter
Lives nearby but my son
Lives in Florida. We see
Our only grandson once a year.
God it was cold this morning.
And I wore a jacket and
A sweater yesterday. My
Husband and I went to the
State Fair. We heard
Tommy James and The Shondells.
God, he still has it.”
My name is called.
Not mine. “Nadine.”
The vet’s assistant Scott
Calls “Nadine.”
I reach out and touch
Dottie’s owner’s knee.
I say “Peace be with you.”
The vet says our pets
Enrich our lives.
It was cold this morning.
And raining when I drove
To the vet. Later the day
Grew bright and warm
And I wondered as I watched
The puffy white clouds
Come and go
What of Dottie.