COMEDY Poem: one frigid Michigan morning, by Zachery May

For Remy

My older dog looks back
at me
as I let him out
one frigid Michigan morning

through rheumy, milk-stained eyes
his black and gray speckled coat
glistens in the snow-strewn
early morning light

his body shivers from cold
and arthritis
and the weight of walks
and chases
and holes dug past

Our eyes meet.
Soul to soul.
Father to son.
Dog to man.

Where I see love, there’s also something I can’t
quite put my finger on,
like a hidden spice
tucked away in potato soup
(chili powder for extra heat)

his mouth pulls up and then
lets down

I hear a thought jumping across our bond
like a crack of ice
in a frozen pond

Instant.
And Powerful.

For one moment he stands there
in the frigid air
and I can read his mind.

Bullshit.