This poem was published in The Avenue Journal, Issue X: Dogs
Before Dreams Begin
by Alex Richardson
Piling in bed beside the dog
Who is asleep and warm
And nuzzles into my side
And yawns and licks my skin
And I smell the death there
That I remember now
From the afternoon
When he bounded from the creek bed
A baby mink clenched in his grin
Which makes me a little less cozy
In the dark
More awake with these images
Until I hear my wife snoring
Fetchingly
That I am not alone.
Alex Richardson has published poems in over 50 journals, magazines, and anthologies. He has one collection, Porch Night on Walnut Street, and he is working on the next one (Before Dreams Begin) . Find him on instagram
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.