just flush and play taps

i think about buying

a horse,

but then i come to my senses.

i know nothing

about a horse,

except from what i learned

on tv watching

cowboy shows as a kid.

the only four legged

animal

i've ever been on was a donkey

going up

the splattered cobblestone

path to Santorini.

so maybe a dog again.

or a cat.

but then you have the shedding.

the vet bills.

the scratching.

heart worm fever and all

of that. not to mention.

the poop

in plastic bags.

what about a goldfish.

a nice shiny goldfish,

i'll call her shelly,

or max.

a bowl, some water.

sprinkle some crumbs

at feeding time

and that's that.

no burial when they die.

no ashes,

no grave,

no crying. 

just flush and play taps.