Poem – DOG (By John Stanizzi)

DOG

            Manchester, Connecticut

            1985

Long after the time had come for her to

stop driving she was driving her daughter

to the store in her brown car that had no

power steering or power brakes, and at

85 pounds of skin and a little

contraption of bones you’d think she’d be a

push-over but nothing could be further

from the truth, so when her daughter said that

she had hit a dog she looked straight ahead

and said No I didn’t, in a way that

also said This conversation’s over.

The rest of the ride that cool October

night was silent until she pulled into

the drive and said, So…about….this….dog… thing….