POETRY
My Dog Sees Dead People
My dog sees dead people. Sometimes this freaks me out,
especially if it’s late at night or the wind is howling through the gap
under the front door, or when I’m up late watching a scary movie.
And I have to tell her, sternly, “Birdie, stop it. There’s no one there.”
But how do I really know?
It goes like this: Birdie and I will be chatting or snuggling on the couch
when her attention is immediately diverted, as if someone is standing
in the entry, or has just come down the long hallway with ghostly steps. Towards her, towards me. Her ears will perk up and her head will swivel
in the direction of something I cannot see.
Sometimes, she’ll hop off her chair and trot into the entry to stare into
the distance with all of her senses alert. Twice, she has backed up into the living room, exactly the way she would back up when anyone might approach her in the long narrow hallway. Lately, she’s moderated her response, looking up briefly as if to say, “Oh, it’s you again.”
