Early Spring Walk

by Holly Day

The dog pulls at her leash because she knows everything

has changed from last week to this, that even the air is different with spring.

All of the old smells have disappeared into the new grass blades pushing up

through the warm soil. The dog pulls at her leash

or perhaps, I’m the one pulling at her leash, trying to rein in the burgeoning excitement

that comes with an early spring, trying to find a way to let her know

that this could all change with a sudden snowfall, an April blizzard

a storm that could go on for days and days and days. It’s hard to tell a dog

to not enjoy themselves too much because they’ll only get hurt in the end,

besides, they never listen.

* * * * *

Holly Day’s poetry has recently appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, Grain, and The Tampa Review. Her newest poetry collections are In This Place, She Is Her Own (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press), A Wall to Protect Your Eyes (Pski’s Porch Publishing), Folios of Dried Flowers and Pressed Birds (Cyberwit.net), Where We Went Wrong (Clare Songbirds Publishing), Into the Cracks (Golden Antelope Press), and Cross Referencing a Book of Summer (Silver Bow Publishing), while her newest nonfiction books are Music Theory for Dummies and Tattoo FAQ.