Your Broken Promise to My Niece and Her Dog
Paul Burgess
Her boxer, wearing colors from your school,
began his drunken kidney-beaning twist
and covered both your cheeks with loving drool
to show how much your belly rubs were missed.
She’d counted down the days of freshman year
and told her panting Henry every day
how soon the summer break would bring you here
to cuddle after passing out from play.
You promised Henry games of catch and throw
and swore you’d visit near the end of fall.
But surely, there’s no way you didn’t know
you’d reach the dorm and place a breakup call.
Now Henry’s staring—head atilt, concerned—
at canine college sweaters being burned.
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First published in Pulsebeat Poetry Journal
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Paul’s notes: “Pets often form such an important part of our relationships with other people that it felt natural to
me to put a dog at the center of a breakup poem. In a breakup, a dog can simultaneously be a painful reminder of better times, an essential source of comfort, and a confused family member adapting to a new reality.
“While the poem takes some minor artistic liberties, Henry is real. He is the sweet, handsome dog
in the picture below.”
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Paul Burgess is the sole proprietor of a business in Lexington, Kentucky that offers ESL classes in addition to English, Japanese, and Spanish-language translation and interpretation services. He has recently contributed work to Blue Unicorn, The Road Not Taken, Light, Apricity, Star*Line, The Orchards, Snakeskin, Pulsebeat, and several other publications. Paul’s blog is here and readers are welcome to contact him via this link.
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