Let Them To Them

A hoof, a paw, a beak, a maw,
A trip to the park to run, to bark,
To wrestle and fetch and swim and then
To home to hump, to play, to jump,
To talk and howl and share these breaths
Between dog and human as equals, not pets
A meow, a stroke, a stretch, a purr,
A caw, a treat,
A neigh, a trot,
A love in heat
A love when not
And loving to walk with a four legged lover
And loving to listen, to cherish each other
And to lovers here
And to lovers gone
To pay forward kindness:
To carry love on;
To feeling and knowing
And loving the things that only we creatures do
They don't understand, but let them to them
To thine own self be zoo



Dandelions

Dog walks nose-down through the dandelions,
Brushing his face against the spreading of life.
We lie down on the grass
And the ants and the other bugs flock to us;
We snap and brush at them
As around us a hot dandelion snow falls and rises,
Considering its thoughts on the ground.
Eventually the dog rolls over for a belly rub
And after getting one
We go back inside.



Dandelions 2

There are so many things I never would have seen if not for you,
my dog boyfriend, being a regular presence in my life. This
morning we were walking across the boardwalk over the pond, and we
saw all of the dandelion tufts resting on the surface of the pond.
A pale algae; airborne travelers alighting onto some water. I
never would have imagined that, thought to come up with that as a
thing, by myself. You showed it to me, and for that and for many
things, I love you so much.