My Dog
by Gabe Redel
It is best when this dog
is peaceful on his leash.
It’s humiliating
when he acts up and loses
control.
I try to keep him calm
by talking to him nicely,
but that rarely works.
He just keeps pulling harder and harder.
I know what comes next.
He loses his cool
and flies off the end of the leash
in a panic of barks and bites.
It doesn’t matter
how hard I try,
my dog always wins.
And when he’s done making a fool
of himself,
it is up to me
to gather him up, the sad little mess,
and act like nothing happened.
How embarrassing it is
when I can’t
keep my emotions… I mean
my dog under control.
