To be as much in love as those two
Such that they’re spun together
By an unseen but kind hand
Mixed and inseparable
Water and soil after weeks of April rain
And then there’s walking
Stepping in puddles
Jumping from dry spot to dry spot
An umbrella huge to cover the world and the future
April rain forever
Coming down for months of Sundays
Umbrellas up all over town|
And leaned by the door
Where you order coffee and read
The past is a dog or a cat
Or both
The dog you can call over by crouching, patting the rug in front of you
The cat stalks around the house
And if it spots you
It might slink over
It might let you rub its head
It might purr
And then drive its teeth into your hand
Running off
Later it’s lying on the bolster of the couch
Its tail keeping time to some inner music
Staring at you
Daring you
The dog pads up
And leans on your leg
There is the past that’s simple
And the past that’s tangled
The cat readjusts and yawns
The dog rolls over and offers its belly