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WHISTLING SHADE |
i read a story about a snowplow guy
on his shift in a blizzard at 2 am
& how he hesitated & then at last
stopped to check the tags on a black lab
struggling through the drifts alone
& as soon as he opened the door
she jumped in & spread herself out
across the seat, her slushy paws
muddying his front seat & paperwork
that was pinned in his clipboard
& she gratefully ate half his night’s meal
a convenience store hotdog he shared
& she repaid him by lying there sweetly
an animal soul riding shotgun as he worked
the dark streets into the wee hours
& he was sad when the owners finally
called back in the morning to retrieve her
the best partner I ever had, he lamented
then headed back out again to finish
the remaining 24 hours of his shift