Lifeworlds

After the late movie

I take the retriever

Outside for the last time

On a stormy night.

I pull on a windbreaker.

The dog has an undercoat.

We walk in the dark and rain

In the uncertain distance of night.

The dog is tracking something.

I am on the lookout for coyotes.

Suddenly I notice movement

Not twenty feet from me.

I look, but the dog doesn’t notice.

I squint to see what is moving in the dark.

A skunk, meandering, probably also squinting.

Good eyesight is not their strong suit,

And the rain is coming down steady.

I see the skunk but it doesn’t see me.

It heads off into the watery darkness,

Unaware of me, on its way,

Pressing deeper into the night

And the kingdom of skunks.

The dog and I go back inside the house.

I consider watching another movie

But decide against it.

I sit in the dark, chilled and wet,

Considering how lifeworlds

Sometimes almost touch,

Quickly, like lightning,

Then go their separate ways.