POEM #5- Day the First

"Day the First"

The trainer assures me

All I need to do 
is put you on a soft blanket

on the floor of the back seat

and play some soothing music. 

You will go right to sleep

she promises.

You  cry all the way home.

from the airport. 

When the neighbors come to meet you

you do not wag your tail

or baptize them with puppy breath kisses

instead you pose

a worried look on your face

then topple over

and sleep for an hour

on the front lawn.

Night,

The sky darkens 

kettle drum thunder booms

white lightning zags across the sky

and monsoon rains

like we almost never see in Colorado

fills the backyard with pools of water

you wait as long as you can

then squat on a potty pad

on the bathroom floor.

Bedtime,

so far from Mama Uma

so far from the pile of 

warm-breathed brothers and sisters

you cry yourself to sleep,

I spend the night

on the floor

in front of your kennel. 

(c) Carol Wilcox