October 9, 2025

i tap at the window
to get the attention of the cat
i’ve just fed
and the puppy goes crazy
thinking it’s a stranger
tap tap tapping at our door
and so she barks
and poofs up
and howls
to protect her home
and her kips
and herself
and she’s so brave

December 13, 2024

WOOF
BOOF
says the puppy,
protecting us from the
unfamiliar sounds of
car doors
and trucks revving
outside

what a brave puppy!
but what she does
doesn’t actually protect us

[i hope she thinks it does
tho]

August 27, 2022

a memory
failing me
at every opportunity

or

is it protecting me?
is it saving me from the agony
of solid knowledge
and pain?

because

isn’t that what a trauma response is?
just the brain and/or body
trying their hardest
to save the heart
from hurt?