This appears in a pre-2010 issue
of Down in the Dirt magazine.
Saddle-stitched issues are no longer
printed, but you can requesting it
“re-released” through amazon sale
as a 6" x 9" ISBN# book! Email us for re-release to order.
Sitting limply next to me on the front seat,
you still had strength enough to lick my
face, even though I had brought you to a
place where you wouldn’t come back
Loving you more than life, I tried to
bolster myself while slipping the key from
the ignition, your one, unbandaged eye trained
weakly on me, awaiting my touch on your
now-gray fur as I sat, pushing the minutes
away, trying to fight another outburst, finally
pulling you roughly from the car to pretend
I didn’t care, not feeling the sun warm on
my back, or your tangle of fur soft in my
hands, watching the bandage loosen and fall
free, the small patch of bloody gauze so vivid
against the dingy pavement the only image I
remember clearly before taking you inside to
die
