This poem was published in The Avenue Journal, Issue X: Dogs
Pouting School
Phillip Sterling
Even during the pandemic the dog seemed incessantly happy—a sur-
veyor studying a map of Nebraska. His owner could not stand being
shut in with the creature; the man was compulsive and depressed. He
enrolled King in an online obedience class, but the dumb mutt failed,
his stub tail jerking joyfully at every command, like a phone stuck on
vibrator mode. Treats were withheld to no avail. Finally he streamed
documentaries on animal therapy. Some relationships are not meant to
be, said one expert. That night King let himself out and ran wagging
into the night, leaving his owner miserable.
Phillip Sterling’s books include Lessons in Geography: The Education
of a Michigan Poet (essays/memoir, Cornerstone, 2024), In Which
Brief Stories Are Told (short fiction, Wayne State University Press),
Amateur Husbandry (microfiction, Mayapple), and five collections of
poetry, most recently Local Congregation: Poems Uncollected 1985-
2015 (Main Street Rag 2023). His fiction is anthologized in Best Short
Fiction 2017 and Best Microfiction 2024.
You can purchase The Avenue Journal Issue X: Dogs in paperback at Bookshop.org, or, if you prefer it in digital format, you can download the ebook in .epub format for pay-what-you-can (suggested donation $9) at ko-fi.