Hound Nostrils

It's raining outside
you mosey on over to my area
on the porch

where the rain beads
up on a rhododendron bush.

Our blue tick hound –
he sniffs the dewy breeze
as he always does when it rains.

As patting his head,
you look at me and say,

"All my clothes need washing,
so I borrowed some off your cousin."

I notice my cousin must wear
a few sizes too big for you,

seeing as how
the bra strap
keeps slipping off your shoulder.

While I move the strap
back among your shoulder,
your eyes are fixed

upon our hound's twitching
nostrils, rustling.

When Frustrated

Dear, sometimes your eyebrows raise
underneath the crinkled skin on your forehead,
but only when you're frustrated.

To stop that and to start a light heart,
your eyebrows will lower, naturally and naturally.

Your body will loosen with natural thoughts
because you think but only natural thoughts
won't you try acting upon studied thoughts?

For you, it's all played out as child-play,
but to you, that is free, and to me, i'm frustrated.

The whole time, i'm thinking,
maybe you are doing what hurts less
and i know it feels good to not feel,
but i want to feel, but only if you'll feel with me

It means nothing to no one
if we won't explore a thought that might be human
then we won't be human.