What I Learned from a Dog Named Annie

Accept all fears.
Those nasty Jacaranda blossoms
keep falling, falling
on my head-
so dangerous!
And the bees, the bees
swarm all over them
on the grass I thought was mine.

Her whole small body
pulses in fear.
I hold her,
give her soft words,
rambling reassurance.
Accept all fears.
Doesn’t matter how they seem
to anyone else.

I stroke her,
finding the places
she likes to be scratched.
I breathe with calm and confidence,
holding the space for her feelings.
It doesn’t matter if
I don’t share the fear.
I hold her in her courage.

While she trembles
and shudders
I hold her safe and close.
I cup my hand
Around her soft back end.
Little by little, her quivering
diminishes.
I cradle her.

After a while,
her shivering is stilled.
After a long while,
from the comfort of my lap,
she can simply watch
those horrible bees
crawl over the blossoms
on the grass far below.

˙©Susa Silvermarie 2022