“Woof”, I bark.
I am a puppy.
Why am I waiting
by the door?
Today is an important day
for my human.
He said he has a
“disease”.
Fleas? and then repeated the letter
“A” twice.
I don’t know,
I’m only a puppy.
So I’m waiting by the door until
he returns so I can jump on him
and lick him, because
I love him.

He comes home and
I jump on him. He has a bottle
he brought home.
‘Mouthwash’?
"Mouth Fleas” he jokes.
“No, they told me I should
take care of myself better,
and that starts with
good hygiene. It’s so I can have
good, white, teeth —”
He gives me a weird looking bone.
“—and so should you!”.
It tastes good. That’s all I care about.

— — —

“Good morning puppy!”
“Woof!”, I bark back.
“Now technically,
you’re supposed to do this
twice a day, they told me.
It really helps prevent the mouth fleas”.
He gives me another bone, even though
I’m still chewing the first one.
“You can never have too good
of a thing”
he says.

— — —

“I can’t believe it’s been
a year!
I don’t even know if you’re still
a puppy” he jokes.
“I hope you had a good birthday,
puppy. Good night”.

The mouth fleas must have gotten
worse. He has finished two full
bottles of that ‘mouth wash’ today.
I hear his car leave
the house.
He’s probably going to buy more bottles.
I think he hates fleas more than me.

— — —

“Woof”, I bark.
I am no longer
a puppy.
Why am I waiting
by the door?
I’m waiting by the door until
he returns so I can jump on him
and lick him, because
I love him.
He just never returns.