for Neddy
Furious bright day

on which the calendar

notation reminds

of jackhammers at dawn,

the digging of a hole

to be filled at dusk:
pool of clear sky

unsympathetic to such

endeavour, the careful

mapping of dogged grief

onto earth—

fault lines expanded
by heat. Hours

warped by shifting

ground, our wait

to undo the cryonics

of final injection.

The veterinarian’s
receptionist reads back

dimensions, white

old blind eyes stay

frosted until the rite

lurches ahead, body

thaws into hothouse
embrace of sweat, dirt

and the various

wisdoms: remembrance,

fidelity, the give of

suburban landscaping

and fumbling prayer.