*

*

We go out into the morning,

you in your bright yellow harness

me in my sweats and fleece jacket

A shiver of chill, bird song

*

You pause on the top step

nervous, vibrating, testing the air

I check the time, you descend

to chew on new grass

*

Two backyards down, a portly woodchuck

destroys someone’s spring flowers

You glide to the shed, smell its edges

then sniff the trash cans

*

The bully cat leaves his scent marks

everywhere, I’ve seen it happen

You smell him, our mutual enemy

the one we both hate and fear

*

 Wary, we circumambulate the house,

You growl when I tug you toward the door

once inside, you eat a snack on the counter

Then we nap, dreaming of freedom