real

there was an insistent
barking dog next door

who let her presence be known
over and over again

i tried to tame her 
with dog biscuits
water
kind words

perhaps love

but every time
the shadow of my hand
would come into her sight

she'd bark and bark
trembling furiously
at my audacity

for a day and a day i didn't hear
from her and i worried and 
fretted over what her owners
had done to her

but she soon returned
with a jaunty new sweater
a longer leash

and a look of blood in her eyes

i looked from afar
in gratitude
wondering why i missed
her ferocity

was i always the shadowy helper?

no answer came 
to my question of doubt

but her pout 
no longer intrigued me

the need to be me 
was stronger than 
the uncertainty

of the crumbs she let free

(be)