Doggie Day Care

The doggy day care on SE 6th
is where I find my five kids.
Fitz, my over protective Dane,
Grace, the play oriented Retriever,
Acelee, my Houdini of a Beagle,
and the ever bickering brother and sister Dane
pair of goof ball Cooper and precious Emma.

Fitz, half lying on plastic play grass,
doubles as a pillow to a drooling Ace.

Behind them sits Grace,
the sparkle in her eyes
begging me to play.

Constantly play.

Next to Grace is Cooper, who breathes in
bursts that send Grace’s gold waves into ripples.

On Cooper’s other side is big sister Emma,
who has latched herself to his deaf ear.

“Wipe that dorky look off your face, Fitzgerald!”
I call; Fitz continues to stare sideways out of his one green eye.

Snap!
They all jump.
In the dimly lit quiet day care
the sight and sound are intensified.

The girls jump from the flash and sound,
the boys from the flash alone.