dark ones need to be watched they’re up to something   white ones are in a much lazier mood and drift without a care   so many things are deceptive   like us, who use a smile, the skill of words and other kinds of makeup to hide truth   in fact, humans live in the same unpredictable range as dust devils to deadly tornadoes   liable to start spinning and spiraling in the middle of a sunny, even spectacular day   and you, who must step back, dive for cover or run

the message is always the same – something wants to be with you so badly they can’t contain it   then you add fur and paws, wagging tail and wet tongue, bright eyes, and a four-legged shadow that follows yours everywhere   if it were a marriage, it would be perfect, loyalty and love so solid they would never part till death   and even then they hang around so you can still pet them   with the fingers of your heart

If Gracie was an old woman she’d be in a wheelchair by now   her four wobbly legs can still catch each other, but two would need a crutch   she’d also be in some locked facility for all her wandering, where we use a short fence to corral her nomad   if she was human, I’m positive she’d have given up trying to live and just stayed in bed   here, she’s got favorite blankets, pillows, preferred sofa spots to gage the world and a king-sized bed to sleep in   being nearly blind an