WEIGHING THE DOG It is awkward for me and bewildering for him
as I cradle him in my arms
balancing our weight on the bathroom scale,
but this is the way to weigh a dog, and easier
than training him to sit obediently in one spot
with his tongue out, waiting for the cookie.
With pencil and paper, I subtract my weight
from our total to find out the remainder that is his,
and I start to wonder if there is an analogy here.
It could not have to do with my leaving you,
though I never figured out what you amounted to
until I subtracted myself from our combination.
You held me in your arms more than I held you
through all those awkward and bewildering months
and now we are both lost in strange and distant neighborhoods.
Copyright © 2025 by Billy Collins. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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