She Just Thinks They Are Cute by Victor Clevenger

there is a stray dog that runs these blocks
& he is black
with long legs

yesterday we watched him
chase a fat squirrel

do something     she said
it's going to kill the poor thing

that is life     I told her

she punched my shoulder
& stood up shouting
STOP     GODDAMMIT     STOP

the squirrel ran up a tree
& perched
with its stomach flapping
over both sides of the small branch

she stood up
grabbing a rock & threw it

her aim is decent     but she
bounced it three hops to the left

the dog gave up & walked back
towards an alley

she smiled satisfied
& walked back into the house
as I watched the squirrel
escape alive

I have been that squirrel before
pulse throbbing in my neck
& stuck
in moments that i had no clue
if I could survive

the excitement was over
& I went back inside too

we ordered chinese food
rice    tangy chicken     noodles
egg drop

we both got full
& she ran herself some hot bathwater

she climbed in
& I took all the leftovers to the curb

I liked that dog

I have been that dog before too

About Victor Clevenger:

When not traveling the highways across America, Victor Clevenger spends his days in a Madhouse and his nights writing poetry.  He lives with his second ex-wife, and together they raise six children in a small town northeast of Kansas City, MO.  Selected pieces of his work have appeared in print magazines and journals around the world, as well as at a variety of places online.  His work has been nominated for the Best of the Net Anthology, as well as the Pushcart Prize.  Victor’s most recent published collections of poetry include a split book with Tom Farris titled Ginger Roots Are Best Taken Orally (EMP, 2018), A Finger in the Hornets’ Nest (Red Flag Poetry, 2018), and On The Tip Of Our Tongues (Analog Submission Press, 2018).  He can be reached at: facebook.com/thepoetvictorclevenger 

Cheers