Eight Degrees


The pond froze over.
Otherwise they'd never have gotten you.

The man who owns the dogs
Said he was sorry.
He said that he'd thought of trying to break up the ice.
I had thought of it, too.

The pond froze over.
What a rude trick.

In Maine
Ponds freeze
And are solid for months.
But not here.

Since the pond froze over,
Your mate doesn't come when I call
The way the two of you did.
Even when I throw bread crumbs
He stands idly about.
If he's not careful,
The dogs will have him, too.

For a couple of days
The temperature got down
To a ridiculous eight degrees
And the pond froze over.

Now the pond has thawed.
But not my heart, Gertrude.
Not my heart.



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