A Trip to the Vet

A licking of my face. Apollo my

seventeen-year old Chihuahua

nervously wants me to console

him, wants me to assure him that

everything will be okay. I have

taken him to the vet, and he knows it.

No big deal, I wish I could explain:

It’s only a routine check-up, and to

get those horrendously long nails

trimmed to an acceptable length.

And when the deed was done, he

was relieved and tail-wagging happy,

prancing around proud as a puppy

again as if to say (were words a dog’s

way), Look at me, walking once more

stealthily quiet on padded paws

instead of that click, click, clicking

of my nails, slip-sliding my ass-end

across the linoleum kitchen floor.

Chris Hanch 5-13-18