Today’s prompt was to write an animal poem.
Dogs
When my surviving child
went off to college
less than three months
after Rader's death blew up our nuclear family
at first we texted every day
at least some small thing
and then eventually I didn't need that
so much
It's been three, almost four semesters
and now
every few days
we send comics
and pictures of dogs
because dogs are good
and a very adequate shorthand
for "I love you."