She was almost blind, always with
the black Doberman leading.
At the bar on 23rd, she drank
a few Leinenkugels while her
dog sat in the corner watching
the drunks. A man without shirtsleeves
offered her a ride home on his motorcycle.
The dog barked. She said some other time.
He bragged about his inner arm of old scars.
She guessed his eyes were blue-green
that he once worked in the circus.
Before the fall, before she bought
the pup for its keen vision, she had
walked the tightrope.
She had danced blindfolded.
| Euphemism Campus Box 4240 Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4240 |