THE OLD LIFE HAUNTS

BENJAMIN, WHO CAME FROM

WHO KNOWS WHERE

“What shall I do?

When I pick up the broom

he leaves the room.

When I fuss with kindling he

runs for the yard.

Then he’s back, and we

hug for a long time.

In his low-to-the-ground chest

I can hear his heart slowing down.

Then I rub his shoulders and

kiss his feet

and fondle his long hound ears.

Benny, I say,

don’t worry. I also know the way

the old life haunts the new.”

Oliver, Mary. Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver (p. 35). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.