In the end there was
a certain grace

splayed on the table
unrecognizable

our beloved (pup)
barely

five sedated on
a manual respirator

unresponsive
Phenobarbital

overdose in wait
human hair

not fur its smell
and luster

in spite of a final
breath-less episode

just minutes before
we arrived for our

nightly visit the ex and I
he from across country

in case of the worst
sweet pup

earlier in the day
recognizing his hide

and seek whistle
paw shake of recognition

cone headed oxygen
tubes stapled to her nose

the ex fearing our last
link too expiring

yes, a certain grace
to release this spirit

from the metal
vet emergency room cages

to sniff her hair
in the last shallow

horror of breath
a stopped baby-like

heart all muscle
and miles of hiking

reduced to toneless
aspiration pneumonia

complication of-
the ominous seriousness

released spirit etherized
in the lingering smell

of the keepsake collar
and blanket on the bed

at my feet where
nightly she tried

to creep up
pawing me still

About This Poem
"In this Mobius strip-like poem, I played with cutting away details, but in the end decided its less ambiguous subjects are integral to the overall DNA. To pare down seemed to compromise the closer-with a pun on 'close her'-more unsettling temporal and spatial interconnections related to poetic 'pacing,' the breakup of a long-term relationship, and then the sudden loss of a young dog." - Peter Covino

About Peter Covino
Peter Covino's most recent poetry collection is "The Right Place to Jump" (New Issues Poetry & Prose, 2012). He is an associate professor of English at the University of Rhode Island.

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(c) 2014 Peter Covino
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