We met for coffee
in the crisp morning hours.
Sitting at an outdoor table,
my friend and I,
both fully vaccinated,
sat a few feet apart
chatting animatedly…
it felt so normal.
At a nearby table,
a woman and her dog were enjoying
the brisk air and rising sun.
Suddenly,
her dog began to howl —
a long, ancient keen
belonging to his ancestors.
An emergency vehicle sailed by,
blinking lights, blaring horns.
The black lab matched
his plaintive howl
to the sirens’ refrain.
“He feels like he needs
to mourn everyone,”
she offered with a light hearted laugh,
until we all realized…
nothing is normal.
A Reading Life 
What a set up to the chilling last line. Such a weird space we inhabit right now- between new normal and not normal.
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This is a wonderful piece. The dog represents the loss of normal with his mourning cry.
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OMG! We have such similarities in our posts today! Our dog Ollie howls at sirens too! We love when he does that but it is a haunting cry as well. You are so right- nothing is normal, and dogs sense more than we know. Thank you for a great post reminding me to not take normalcy and our best canine buddies for granted. You hit the mark again!
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