This poem was inspired by the painting, Poem in Black and White

by Jack Richards.

Black Fur, Wet Tongue

by Suellen Wedmore

Of course, this is my dog--she

fills a vacant space

I didn’t know was there

until she moved in

and covered the floor

with rawhide chews and pigs’ ears;

she fills a lap that was only

stiffness, waist to knees,

until my arms found

fur smelling of grass and wet mittens;

she fills my house with music:

a staccato bark announcing

the morning post,

the click of just-trimmed nails

across a linoleum floor;

she speaks with her eyes

unashamed and straight on,

dissolves loneliness

with a warm wet tongue:

of course, this is my dog.