exhausted today, lots of up and down, back and forth two long walks, meeting friends and their masters, dinner delayed adding extra yip and spin to my needs a birthday party here - guest begging takes a toll after they leave, I’m going to jump on the sofa, curl up and tuck in, no excitement from cleaning noises in the kitchen nor rough loading of the dishwasher everyone is ready for bed and I know my tired old tail will beat them all there

the rules of intimacy say that shaking or kissing a hand is more formal than a squeeze of a shoulder, which is less intimate than holding an arm, closeness growing when fingers touch a face with social propriety long established, along comes the hug to break all the rules when two bodies wrap together every sacred boundary is crossed, two hearts are thrown close just inches apart as close as they will ever get unless love decides to break a rib and see what happens

I thought when I retired, the “L” word would find a permanent dent on my sofa but she’s been mostly an outside dog while I go to work chasing words, for this poet can’t stop the hunt she barks for attention like the other mutts when I get home in the late afternoon and sits between us at night in front of the TV, quiet and resting, though occasionally throwing hints that she’s tired of being alone so much with a look from the eyes that say why did you even adopt me?