Poetry

We were walking in the park,
our little zoo of dogs and you and me.
 
One was splashing in the stream,
swimming like a huge black beaver,
 
the little one barked from the bank
as if encouraging and telling the others what to do,
 
one was sniffing the trees, looking for a spot
as if surprised at what she got,
 
one was looking out for other people
as if someone could suddenly draw a knife
 
and come challenging with it
staying aware as if guarding us
 
and then a bird came out of nowhere,
appeared in the air above me,
 
decided that my head
was a great place to rest
 
and at the last moment fluttered up
changing landing orders to that of flight.