Ruby '81

July 4th, 1981, candles of a Roman ilk

Unloaded from a chevy truck

Into the home her folks had built

Patio was charcoals and extended fam in folding chairs

Safely arced around the yard to focus on the smoking flares

Couple cousins, uncles, aunts, mostly grown-ups, couple brats

Baby Ruby's only two

She's too close to the jumping jacks

Mommy scoops her to the house

Buckles up the booster seat

Rolls her to the storm door

Let her long for all the lunacy

Telephone distracting Mom

Ruby wriggles out her strap

Fingers push the plexi-glass

She's off into the sour patch

Past the pyrotechnics undetected and invisible

Woke the sleeping beagle skipping toward the kidney swimming pool

Off into the yawning blue

The splash would mum the rocket-ships

Ruby's lungs were filling by the time her kin were cognizant

Many sprung and sprinted down

All arrive belated but

The beast she had earlier stirred had been alert since waking up

Canine let his gainer fly

Water top commotion grow

Howling guests assumed the cloven hoofs had come to do-si-do

Frenzied and congested deck

Part to let the elders see

Soggy beagle gently dragging Ruby in his yellow teeth

Laid the tiny body in the sun before her Father's feet

When she choked the liquid through her bluish lips he dropped his knee

Helped the air to reconvene

Towel his shaking Ruby off

EMT confirm the save

Everybody say

"Good dog! "