100 Days of Gladness: Day 22

tinalear
2 min readApr 5, 2024

NaPoWriMo “Daisy, My Other Dog”

Photo by author

I stand at the sink,
sorting the dirty glasses and plates.
In between putting forks and spoons
in the dishwasher and cleaning a fry pan
that doesn’t fit in there,

a quiet yearning
scoops out my heart,
distracts my arms, pulsates
in the air in front of me,
and I look up.

There she is.
Across the back yard and behind the barrier.
My other dog. Daisy.
Her face a small sun shining from behind the chain link,
she illuminates the molecules, particles, atoms, cells, that
dance between her eyes and our window. She doesn’t move.
She waits without a word,
in a state so pure, I cannot help
but go back there to bask in it.

I lean over to scratch her in the good spots.
I hunker down, whisper secrets, and she listens.
She gives my fingers tender kisses
through the fence.

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tinalear

Novelist. Poet. Musician. Buddhist. Quilter. Animal lover. Visible grownup. Hidden child. Secret dancer when all alone. Makes good bread.