Canine for All Things Die
my dog
fat and gray-black
deaf and strong-small
grunts in his sleep
wet nose buried
in a crocheted lavender blanket
eyes hazed
with secrets of old age
secrets he couldn’t explain
even if we spoke
the same language
I knew things
when he was young
now I only offer food
and a warm body
neither of which
have much value
when he takes his fur-suit off
and pays the two-coin cover