Dog

But we still had Eddie,
part Golden Retriever. Ginger
taught him good manners. Eddie, the wolf dog, howls at coyotes. Eddie, the mutt,
pisses on Dad’s pine seedlings. Eddie, the faker,
plays dead to a finger pistol
and Bang. Eddie, the laggard, naps on the country road,
on winter afternoons. Eddie,
run over today, lies split,
in the gut in the garage
in January. Eddie,
stupid dog.

Part two of the poem “Dog” from the book of poems Poor Manners, admired by a great aunt pictured here with her dog on a threshing straw stack


Location: Wisconsin, USA

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