cough drops

your dog
would sniff out
and find
a cherry cough
drop in the pocket
of your jeans
that you dropped
to the floor
before climbing
into bed
the night before.
he'd drag
them off somewhere
private
and proceed to chew
and lick
the denim
until he
got to small
oval candy
lozenge. when
you wore the jeans
again and went to
put change or
your keys into
the pocket
everything
would fall
loosely through
the hole,
rolling
and clanging
around the room.
you'd shake your
head and curse
the little beast,
but what was there
to do. and from
what you remember
he never had a cough.