to a point

the dog is in the paint.
his paws
smudge
and imprint the floor,
the rug,
the brown couch,
all spotted now with white.
you could kill
the dog, but that wouldn't
help things.
so you take a sponge,
a spray
and go about
the job of cleaning up
what the former love
of your life
has done. we accept mistakes
so easily,
when love
is involved,
to a point.