Jose Would Hate That - June 21, 2026

with my toe I nudge a carpenter bee,

black, on its back and not moving

Jose the neighbor passed recently and his jungle

is dying too, its large shadow still lush, but limp

my dog Gracie and I hug it, before we turn right

onto a short street with more superb shade

the next two lefts are hard on Gracie

the brightness on her cataracts

so bad she bucks and stumbles

till we cross back over to Jose’s shade

for the straight dark shot home

Jose’s partner said he stopped watering

while Jose was in hospice, knowing Jose

would hate the planned, pebbles and cactus

like Gracie and I will hate that,

all walkers, feral cats, ground squirrels,

skunks, raccoons, birds, lizards,

dogs and shade-loving things

will hate that

and I imagine the black bee

dead on the sidewalk

in front of Jose’s

would also have hated that