All I Can Do
I am the reason someone gets up
in the morning; I am the Red Cross Dog
and I notice how the country heaves
with unrest, how right before snow falls
the air smells like lightning (it’s then
I dream of cut grass and flying stars)–
all the while, there is that deep rumble
in the distance, and even though I am minding
my own business and even though there is someone
telling me “Red Cross Dog, I know you’ll help me
find my way back home,” I cannot forget
that my country is falling and I cannot pick
it up. I cannot do this.
