By Jennie Orlando

 

Long weeks slither through the road  

As I drive over a steep hill  

To a house in Bella Vista  

With green bushes suffering  

November’s persistent winds.  

Evening stars glare from the sky  

As I step out of the Subaru  

And Logan, my mother’s beagle,  

Jumps up to greet me  

With exuberant eyes.  

I stroke his head  

And he barks in delight.  

Together, we make music 

With his squeaking toys  

On the kitchen tile.  

When he itches for emprise,  

We collect a priceless stick treasure,  

A crunchy silver bounty  

He chews with pride in the yard.  

When his vigor saps us both,  

We go in the living room  

To lie on a resilient couch  

With the TV glowing like the moon.  

He sleeps next to me,  

The chatter of sitcoms his personal lullaby.  

His unruffled ears dangle  

As I pet his velvet coat.  

His joys are simple  

Like mine. 

 

Jennie Orlando is a senior at the University of Arkansas. After high school, she moved to Arkansas and attended Northwest Arkansas Community College from Fall 2017 to Spring 2019. During her time at NWACC, she served as a member of Phi Theta Kappa in 2019 before transferring to UARK. She is a Journalism/English major with a passion for writing fantasy. “My Mother’s Beagle” is her first published piece.