implications of a grieving dog

her friend showed her a picture of

a grieving dog---it’d been roaming

round the net apparently &

when he did, the look on his own

face was sad to begin with,

for the scene of the dog laying on

the floor flat in front of the coffin,

was one that brought about the

propinquity of the possible deaths

of those older than him whom he

loved dearly (for in the moment

looking at the picture, the relation

between the grieving dog created

anxiety regarding the ensuing

months & years of grievance to

come, if as a human, one has ever

loved at all---this is where the

healthy inevitably lose) & when

she saw it she turned her head

quick, as if she’d seen a car accident

in the making, slowly pulling her

head back after a pause to look at

her friend, saying without words

“why did you show me this?”