​Early Morning Walkies with Daisy

by Catherine Arra

Gray-faced and -laced, slightly bow-legged,
she still sprints down the drive,
 
circling scents,
inspecting marked territory.
 
Once we hit the road, she decides, long loop
or short, depending on weather and her bones,
 
like the days I haul myself to the gym
and decide full-body workout or half.
 
We know when to pause, breathe,
or dash after those annoying Pomeranians.
 
We practice grace.
 
How to eat well,
dead things make us wretch and bellyache.
 
How to play,
prance, twirl, because it’s fun.
 
How to rest,
curled and snoring next to loved ones.
 
To wait like a winter-famished
pregnant doe, knowing
 
time is grass growing, trees leafing,
birds nesting, fawns birthing — 
 
death, always a season away.

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Catherine Arra lives in upstate New York with her partner Alex Stolis and their dog Daisy. She is the author of four full-length poetry collections and five chapbooks. Her newest full-length, Last Evening With All the Versions of Myself, is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press, September 2026. A collaborative Ekphrastic collection The Razor Tip of an Arrowhead with photographs by Alex Stolis and poems by Catherine was released by Dos Madres Press, May 2026. A former English and writing teacher, Catherine now facilitates writing groups.

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