Between Us by Deirdre Fagan

My husband takes the dog along
to gather the mail.

His grey matching winter’s muzzle,
a retriever seamlessly blending into snow.

The walk to the box is as long as a meadow;
a city block to remember from whence he came.

Once, there was no dog, no country home,
only letters through a slit in the door.

Four bedrooms, one occupied—no children,
no wife.

We are nearly ten years into this game—
we’re still playing.

But that’s not what he’s thinking as I eye
him from the window—the dog flanking his calves.

It’s the distance that excites, it’s the return;
it’s the marrow between us.



Deirdre Fagan is a widow, wife, mother of two and associate professor at Ferris State University. Fagan is the author of the memoir Find a Place for Me (forthcoming, 2022), a collection of short stories, The Grief Eater (2020), and a poetry chapbook, Have Love (2019). Meet her at deirdrefagan.com