Care and Feeding

Because tomorrow

I will turn 420 in dog years,

I have decided to take myself

for a long walk on the path around the lake,

and when I get back to the house,

I will jump up on my chest

and lick my nose, my ears and eyelids

while I tell myself again and again to get down.

Then I will replenish my bowl

with cold water from the tap

and hand myself a biscuit from the jar

which I will hold gingerly in my teeth.

Then I will make three circles

and lie down on the wood floor at my feet

and close my eyes

as I type all morning and into the afternoon,

checking every once in a while

to make sure I am still there,

reaching down with one hand

to stroke my furry, esteemed, venerable head.