Howie Good
AFTER PUTTING THE DOG DOWN
A voice was arguing
the other side but I could hear
your heart panting
the shredded breath of bells
Say something now
that the dead say
lest there be disambiguation,
such as when God wears
the face of a monster
I used to practice making
before bed in the mirror
A RETURN TO NORMAL
Start before the numbness
has worn off.
Small sharp pieces of bone
that work to the surface –
these are not roots!
Remove clotted blood
with clean gauze
and apply over the area,
gently but firmly.
Keep head elevated
(a straw can help).
The first 24 hours may be
advanced as tolerated.
A SMALL FAULT
Constructed from "Post-Operative Instructions," Mid-Hudson Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
She never shuts a drawer all the way.
She always leaves drawers halfway open.
I go around the house shutting them –
the silverware drawer, her underwear drawer,
the drawer where we keep stamps and envelopes.
It’s annoying, but I don’t say anything.
If I did, she’d just look at me
like I was the one with the problem,
and, given that there’s a half-
open blossom down between her legs,
you know, she might be right.
Copyright © Howie Good 2009.