10:23 AM, Friday, April 5, 2024, a New York suburb:

by Katherine Flannery Dering


The earth is rumbling. Loud! Has the furnace
exploded? A sheet rock nail pops off the wall
and lands on the end table.

My dog Patsy is standing in the middle of the room.
I don’t think she notices the trembling, though—
she is seventeen years old and completely deaf.

But she can tell something is wrong so
she is looking at me, the center of her universe.
What trust she places in me!
Where can I turn with trust like that?

Many years ago, while traveling alone
through Germany, my purse was stolen.
I spoke no German. In the next few days,
I reached out to anyone who might help me.

Stumbling through French with police.
Crying in the American Express office.
Finding refuge with an old family friend in Geneva.

The shaking stops. Little fingers of my easing mood
spread across to her and tousle her matted fur.
“Don’t worry, Patsy, it’s over now,” I tell her.
She wags her tail.


* * * * *

Katherine Flannery Dering writes poetry and prose and lives in New York State. She has published a mixed-genre memoir, Shot in the Head, a Sister’s Memoir a Brother’s Struggle (Bridgeross). Her poetry chapbook, Aftermath, was published by Finishing Line Press. She holds an MFA from Manhattanville University.
 
Her website is www.katherineflannerydering.com, and she is on Facebook as Katherine Flannery Dering, author.