poems

on dogs and death’s carriage

november 2023

all dogs go to heaven and the rest of us are left unsure. god is adopting two new companions today, and i have no words for anyone. i frown, then i go on with my day. it’s all i can offer because i’ve only known them a fraction of their lives. i guess this is why my dad would rather not have pets. i would rather have companions that die with me. or companions that keep so far away that they simply flicker out of memory, like the churches and hospitals i’ve visited in my early childhood. and when i die, i don’t want to come back. i don’t want another gamble. i don’t want to build myself up again. i don’t want to be anything other than what i think or hope or fear i am. i just want to ride shotgun with death. we won’t talk if he doesn’t want to. he’ll drive wherever he pleases and i’ll let him because i have nowhere else to go. i’ll watch lights and skylines and all the places i’ll never be, just like i’ve always done. i’ll watch your car overtake mine.