Napping with My Dog

My dog and I, together, take long walks
and, then, together we nap,
he floor bound and I on my bed.

I am comforted by his breathing
and, in fact, take joy
just watching how greedily he eats.

His life is completely contagious
in addition to being quite brief.

In my need for external awareness,
my spirit directs to that place

where self-knowledge takes pleasure
in dances
and the quiet tick of his feet;

and also his manifest need
to mark fence posts, light posts, and fences

with piss, as much as remains,
to actively announce his presence

and his right to mate
within his community of dogs:

a right for which he’s willing to fight,
so to be remembered
by size, shape of ears, his coat,

most important, his disposition.