we tried to hide it in the house so that the

neighbors wouldn’t see.

it was difficult, sometimes we both had to

be gone at once and when we returned

there would be excrete and urine all

about.

it wouldn’t toilet train

but it had the bluest eyes you ever

saw

and it ate everything we did

and we often watched tv together.

one evening we came home and it was

gone.

there was blood on the floor,

there was a trail of blood.

I followed it outside and into the garden

and there in the brush it was,

mutilated.

there was a sign hung about its severed

throat:

“we don’t want things like this in our

neighborhood.”

I walked to the garage for a shovel.

I told my wife, “don’t come out here.”

then I walked back with the shovel and

began digging.

I sensed

the faces watching me from behind

drawn blinds.

they had their neighborhood back,

a nice quiet neighborhood with green

lawns, palm trees, circular driveways, children,

churches, a supermarket, etc.

I dug into the earth.