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Cleaning up after the Dog |
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by Jason Tandon
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1:32 |
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Pull plastic bag from pocket
and wave it like a flag
or diploma. Make sure many people
congratulate your care
for the community.
Check bag for holes.
Double-check.
Inspect stool for odd hues.
Greens, blues, blood.
Evaluate consistency.
You don’t want to leave smears
on the sidewalk or grass—no prints.
Getaway must be clean.
Prepare to go in for all of it.
Hold breath.
Grab, clamp, reverse bag, twist, knot, cinch.
Smell hands.
Go ahead, you’re curious.
Hold loaded bag high in the air,
assure onlookers that Everything is Okay.
If a cop should cruise by,
his crew cut bristling
in the sun,
hold that bag higher,
so he, too, can salute
your contribution.
The bomb diffused,
the world a little safer, a little cleaner,
will not offend the deep treads
of someone else’s shoes.
Jason Tandon Jason Tandon is the author of two chapbooks of poetry Rumble Strip (sunnyoutside) and Flight (Finishing Line Press). His poems have appeared in many journals including Columbia Poetry Review, Del Sol Review, DIAGRAM, Good Foot, and New York Quarterly. He will begin teaching at Holyoke Community College in the fall.
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