It is bath time for the dog
he looks at me
like he knows the word bath
really it’s a shower
but I call it bath
he lets me take him in my arms
and placed in the tub
I spray him with water
rub him vigorously with suds
between the toes (especially between his toes)
and all over
I still remember a time when someone
showered me
dried my skin
and put ringlets in my hair
wordshophop 
Aw. Tender…
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My dog’s new nickname— Tenderfoot— he broke his toe.
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I have never heard of a dog breaking his toe. Poor baby.
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That said, I love the nickname.
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A humane tenderness here in the beloved dog reminding speaker of that same love as a child.
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So many of us identify with our pets, and there have been a few dog poems for this prompt. I love the way your poem shifts from the dog’s bath time to your childhood bath time. The closest we can get to that as adults is some kind of pampering. Saying that, now the lockdown has been lifted in the UK, I’m looking forward to going to the hairdressers soon!
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so sweet – that longing we all have to be nurtured.
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There’s so much love in caregiving. Sweet!
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This is incredibly, incredibly sweet! 💝💝
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My dog is so sweet (most of the time).
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This is a lovely gentle bit of writing Jane. What a cute huggable dog. 🙂
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He’s a little hug bug.
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