June 12, 2021 (part 2)

travels usually take
hours upon hours upon hours
(our go-to vacation spots/chill with family spots
have historically taken 8-ish hours.)
(tack onto that traffic/stops with dog/
my tiny bladder/
mostly traveling in seasons bombarded with snow;
our bodies are prepared for travel
to be the only event in a day.)

so when a “vacation trip” takes four/four and a half hours
(five-fifteen with stops/the traffic that inevitably erupts around nyc)
there is an excess of energy when we arrive at our destination.

but the question for tonight was:
“is that enough to meet one young child and two toddlers?”

and the answer was,
unequivocally
“yes!”

[although the dog with bows through her fur
may profess otherwise]

September 14, 2020

[a letter to Louka the dog]

i hope, Louka, you are enjoying this vacation
and you find it a nice respite
from the loud scary traffic of New York

and i hope, Louka, you won’t be too devastated
when, in five days, we go back home
and no longer have forests to explore
and backyard decks to hang out on
and clean breezes to fill your lungs with.

and mostly, Louka, i hope that you do love us
and in everything are having a better life
than your first six years.