the ground was muddy this morning
from the past three nights’ rains,
and though the puppy hates to be toweled off
[especially of her feeties]
i successfully tricked her
into doing it for her-self —
i laid out the towel
knowing
she couldn’t resist
stepping on it
and circling on it
and pouncing on it
and lying on it
and walking on it
and stretching on it
and nesting on it
and i think her paws are damn near dry now
with just fifteen minutes of a towel laid out
inconspicuously
on the floor