white dog sits
beneath the tree
questioning
the man
who gave him a warm
bed
his finger is cold when white dog
licks it

white dog has to crane his head
even farther
than he ever has to
see the mans face
he's not sure why
but the man doesn't shoo him
when white dog nibbles
at his shoes

white dog has never seen the
man like this before
he sits and waits for him to
throw something
white dog has never waited this long
for anything

he decides he'll wait
near the radio
the man always plays a tune
or two
for white dog and him
so white dog goes
and sits
and practices patience
like the man taught him

white dog falls asleep
and when he wakes
no song comes from the radio,
and he sees the man
sleeping funny
beneath the tree
and as he cranes his head
one last time
white dog could swear
that tree had lost
a limb