Closer by Peter Covino

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend July 31, 2014   Closer   Peter Covino

In the end there was        a certain grace splayed on the table        unrecognizable our beloved (pup)        barely five sedated on        a manual respirator unresponsive        Phenobarbital overdose in wait        human hair not fur its smell        and luster in spite of a final        breath-less episode just minutes before        we arrived for our nightly visit the ex and I        he from across country in case of the worst        sweet pup earlier in the day        recognizing his hide and seek whistle        paw shake of recognition cone headed oxygen        tubes stapled to her nose the ex fearing our last        link too expiring yes, a certain grace        to release this spirit from the metal        vet emergency room cages to sniff her hair        in the last shallow horror of breath        a stopped baby-like heart all muscle        and miles of hiking reduced to toneless        aspiration pneumonia complication of—        the ominous seriousness released spirit etherized        in the lingering smell of the keepsake collar        and blanket on the bed at my feet where        nightly she tried to creep up        pawing me still            Copyright © 2014 by Peter Covino. Used with permission of the author. About This Poem   “In this Möbius strip-like poem, I played with cutting away details, but in the end decided its less ambiguous subjects are integral to the overall DNA. To pare down seemed to compromise the close(r)—with a pun on close-her—more unsettling temporal and spatial interconnections related to poetic ‘pacing,’ the breakup of a long-term relationship, and then the sudden loss of a young dog.” —Peter Covino   Peter Covino is the author of The Right Place to Jump (New Issues Poetry & Prose, 2012). He is an associate professor of English at the University of Rhode Island. Most Recent Book by Covino   The Right Place to Jump (New Issues Poetry & Prose, 2012) "Coming and Going" by Tony Hoagland "Mnemosyne" by Trumbull Stickney "The Pink Crosses" by Amanda Auchter Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038