A Feeling Hard to Understand
What the dream did was show me
the feeling I couldn’t name was like
my dog, in his every perfect detail,
coming in the door with his front paw
dangling, then falling on the floor.
The red stump circled in soft fur,
oozing, the leg near and still.
He sits and asks all the questions
with his eyes. The feeling is what’s next,
is there a clean cup I can put the leg in,
and can I call someone, get him somewhere
before another leg falls off, which it looks like
it might do. In that world I can only fumble
to react, knowing something central
and hidden has tumbled, that trusting dog
waiting to see what happens next
and what am I going to do about it.