Sunday, Einstein and I were walking
Keeping a subdued shuffle
With a blues beat lighted by a gray sky
Neither he nor I were paying attention to much
Just basking in the chimney smell
Blowing from wherever

Without provocation
And with a determination I had not seen in my dog
He stopped, every hair on his back raised
His growl letting something know
He was not to be trifled with
I tried to get him to come along to no avail
He barked at nothing
Finally sitting in the middle of the road
For several minutes

I’ve wondered about dogs and their senses
Believing they see more than we are able
But the longer he sat
The more weird I felt
First taking on a fear that I was being watched
Then an uneasy calm that there was no danger

Far away in Texas
The decision was being made
To move my grandmother into hospice care
Her battle with dementia finally giving way
To her truest desires,
To be back with John
And out of the mess of later life
Part of me thinks that when a life so lonely and lost
Finds the peace of moving on
The soul journeys without regard for the flesh and bones
Left behind

Honey said her goodbye to me yesterday
Speaking with my pit bull
Who got the message, cluing me in to her presence
So we could sit together
For a few minutes

I wish I could have told her
How I don’t wear long pants because of her,
How much I’m craving plum jelly, and
How I’ve started chewing gum again, popping
As much as possible
I’m hoping she’ll carry that pistol like personality
Into the heavens finding my brother
And have one great game of catch in a boathouse up there

Rest easy, Honey
It’s time