A widow waits for her beloved and blind dog to die
so she can move to Italy
to be with an old boyfriend
and step-mother his Italian children
while her own don’t need her as much—
not like they did when they were nearly the size of
her
her dog is not going to die anytime
soon, her stink somehow getting stronger
her barking still noise on all four
floors. Akita sleeps at the front door
waiting for a dead man
who shot himself five years ago
on this
so she tells her widow
who used to say her husband died from cancer
until she started getting rid of extra bowls,
books, small guitars, camping equipment,
towels, bikes, night lights,
chairs, pots, plants, her late husband’s books,
clippers, shirts, mugs,
and his persuasion-earned,
Akita, who isn’t going to shut up anytime soon.
*****
Born a Navy brat in San Diego, California, and a nomad ever since, Teresa Lynn Hasan-Kerr earned a bachelor’s degree in English with an Emphasis in Creative Writing and a minor in French at Webster University in Saint Louis, MO. Soon after graduating, she decided to follow her hunger for interesting perspectives by moving to Morocco, where she currently resides as an English teacher and writer. Contact teresalynnhasankerr@gmail.com and Follow her on Instagram
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