BobDog
Bob used to live on my block and he had a dog
Dog was not Bob and Bob was not dog.
I thought and thought about this but when that wagger
Wagged his tail and licked Bob’s face, both of them smiled,
Bob smiled and the dog smiled too, and as I looked
At them, I smiled too, and I wondered if
Maybe once Bob and his dog had been one thing
Like stones belong in streams, and rivers become oceans,
Like my bedroom is part of a house that sits in Brooklyn,
Like a friend is to play, without a friend there is no fun,
Like a hotdog goes in a bun, and a cold drink belongs to the hot day,
Like laughing and crying hard feel like the same thing
Because my heart beats fast and my hands are waving
“Stop, stop, don’t tickle me anymore, it hurts.”
I hope Bob and his dog will get big and strong like my brother Jed
And one day, just like grandpa, get grey and old together,
And they’ll still make each other warm, like my new down jacket
Which is warm because a goose gave me its feathers, so I can be warm,
Once, when it was a puppy, Bob hid his dog in his jacket,
And the teacher could not understand that Bob and dog were really one thing;
Bob kept his dog cozy zippered into his winter jacket, and the dog kept the icy wind
From Bob’s chest, they could be like the statue in the park that I see when I swing,
They could almost be one name, like Bobdog, or something.