Old dog

Tiny old dog

Dashed under the bumper of my van

Escaping to safety against all odds.

I park

Heart pounding,

Ego straining

I run into the open garage where I saw the terrier run…

“Hello” I call,

Two women knock on the door,

They know the dog lives here…

We call

A man emerges

Having already let the dog inside…

“I almost hit your dog!”

“He never leaves the yard.”

“He did, he ran under my car”

“He never leaves the yard”

“I almost hit him!, please don’t let him out alone”

“I will. I’ll keep letting him out!”

The door slams shut.

…..

Was I more upset that the dog might die,

Or that I might have killed him?

We were right next to an elementary school…

What if the witnesses were children

Or if they were passengers in the fatal car?

Don’t let your dogs out unattended.

……

Pay attention to present truth

Not past stories.

Our responsibilities have ripples in the holy waters of life.

Act accordingly.