She's been with him for
A year and a half
Traveling in tents and trailers.
She's from South Africa.
He's from South Florida.
I saw her at the campfire last night.
He was on the phone, phone, phone.
She was with his two dogs.
Her face reflecting the warm flames.

We talked about dogs.
The female, she said, is playful
And loves to run run run.
The male, she said, is quiet and brooding
And likes to watch watch watch.
The female, she said, is young and adventuresome.
The male, she said, keeps his distance but is nice
In a remote sort of way.
The female, she said, takes time to adjust
To all of our changes, all our moves.
The male seems to like it that way:
Not too long in any one place.
Last night, she said, the female seemed restless
Unhappy, she cuddled with me, she said.
The male, she said, seemed not to care.

I watched the flames reflected in her eyes.
The smooth tanned skin was silky
In the firelight. She was breathing
Softly as though she were
Saving energy.

" And you?" she asked.
" Me? .... oh, I have a dog too," I said.

05/09/2004

Posted on 02/20/2005
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