April 16, 2026

knock
knock
knock
says construction?
someone outside?
a random sound?

both myself and the puppy are surprised
and guarded
guarding the house and all its insides
from the potential
knock
knock
knock
of a hammer
or strong strong fist
or even an unknown piece of equipment

it left
it stopped
as quickly as it started
and the echoing
knock
knock
knock
plays in my ears
once the ringing of the puppy’s barks
disappears

i wonder
what
in the world
that
knock
knock
knock
actually was…

December 16, 2025

the puppy is so whine-y
and hassle-y
and i think she just wants
to play with me
or have me
play with her
but i never know exactly what she wants
attention?
scritches?
a throwing of the ball?
to just have us not be staring at a screen?
[i mean, i’m writing this whole poem
with my eyes only on her
checking in every now and then
to make sure i’ve hit
the right button on my keyboard,
but she’s still whining
still hassling
still being
a silly little
waggity-tailed
puppy
with her gorgeous brown eyes
gazing up at me
and her little puppy barks
melting
my damn heart]

February 14, 2025

our dog has become
the neediest little puppy
in this, her third year

and perhaps it is simply because
she is not doctor-ordered to
not
follow us upstairs
and jump in beds
and leap on laps

or perhaps she has gotten used to us
and what we will allow
and what we
won’t

but my goodness
the amount of barks for playtime
and dances for attention
and literal time spent in my lap
[yes, this 45-pound dog
sits in my lap
while i sit
on a dining room chair]
has most definitely increased
within this past
year

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]

September 4, 2024

write to the sounds of
indoor cats purring
outdoor dogs yipping
our dog boofing
even though she knows she oughtn’t
even though she’s trying so hard to not
but her little grumble/whine/barks
are so cute
it’s hard to scold her
especially because
i know
i can tell
she’s trying
she’s trying
she’s trying