I wrote this poem exactly one year ago today. It's called...

"Bathtime."


I have a little dog named Kaiser
Who likes to visit me when I take a bath.
As I sit
Letting the warmth relax my sore muscles,
He approaches with tail wagging.
The tail is always wagging when he sees me:
When I come home after being gone for a while,
When I let him back inside after he’s been out chasing squirrels,
When I ask him if he’d like to cuddle with me on the couch.
Bath time is no different.
His head barely reaches the edge of the tub,
But I can still see the happy tail.
Standing on short, stubby legs,
He waits
For me to sprinkle water down the porcelain sides.
As he licks the liquid,
He is present.
His presence brings me back into the now,
And out of my head,
Which compulsively frets about yesterday
And worries about tomorrow.
I come back to him
And offer the water,
Giving him kisses in between trickles.
I don’t know if he likes the taste
Or the warmth,
Maybe both.
It is one of our routines.
We have many routines.
I have become accustomed to them over the years,
As quirky as they all are,
Having built my life around each one.
I like accommodating his simple needs.
After all,
What are these predictable patterns in return
For the blessing of a tail that always wags?
Sometimes I think
How nice
It would feel
To be greeted with that same unconditional love
By another human being
Each time I entered a room.




-Carrie