spend three hours in the waiting room
at the emergency vet clinic
on a sunday and you will see it’s full of love
love for the nauseous mastiff
love for the schnauzer with the abscess
love for the washcloth-eating chocolate lab
love for the ridgeback who stole the halloween candy
both of my dogs are covered in hives
silly pups
endless wait
astronomical bill
finding humor isn’t difficult
"what’d our perfect dumdums get into this time"
humans endure the tedium together
in good-natured chagrin
trading stories and knowing nods
that is, until the man with the corgi
pushes through the glass doors and suddenly
here in this convivial lobby
even the dogs are stone—
he is carrying her like a baby
he doesn’t know what’s wrong
she’s not walking
she’s not breathing
the man says: help her
the man says: please
a flash of red-gold fur
cradled, beloved disappears around a corner
in the blank minute that follows the phone rings twice
Catherine Weiss wants you to know she loves poems. She is known for her signature mix of humor and heart, and definitely not for punching through walls like the Hulk when she doesn't win a slam. Her poetry has been published in such literary journals as Freezeray Poetry, Voicemail Poems, Gravel Mag, and Jersey Devil Press. Catherine is the founder and editor-in-chief of lit mag Slamchop. More about Catherine at http://catherineweiss.com.
Beautiful poem from the heart. So very sad. Beloved animals.
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