Observing the world the way a dog does - without judgement, just taking it all in. Okay, maybe a little judgement. But back to the dog. Having a dog grounds you. The dog needs to be walked. The dog needs to eat. The dog becomes ill and needs your care. And through it all, the dog's part of the bargain for all this attention is to simply be there. When you are tired or ill, discouraged or lonely. The dog, and the cats, fill the emptiness when you realize you have friends but no significant other; that your adult daughter is close to moving out and on; that really, the only creatures that will shortly need you are your pets. And what that says about you.From light-hearted poems in which the dog slams into a llama, a Starbucks barista tells an unexpected joke, and the poet muses on the sticker on her banana, to the telling of dealing with chronic fatigue and a serious illness, we move from light to darkness to light, being urged to "Wear the orange dress / pick the tiger lily / bright world awaits / no hoping / just take it."
