a damn good pilot

the dog ran out on me yesterday

the fucking bitch

the wind forced open my back gate

and I didn’t notice

because I was having a nap

a good one, too

involuntary

with my feet propped on the patio table

the same wind caressing my face

and the birds performing for me

some chirping, some whistling

in sweet harmony and perfect pitch

a strange one sounded like

Defender rockets

pew! pew! pew!

and I dreamt of being a pilot

in space

shooting these little rockets

at anything in sight

I would have made a damn good pilot

you should’ve seen me

it was remarkable the way I moved

I was spinning and dashing with such

precision the bastards couldn’t see

it didn’t matter how many they sent

in and out, side to side

they couldn’t cope

I was too fast for them, too good for them

pew! pew! pew!

I was making a damn good pilot

but finally I heard my neighbor calling

he called over and over

and soon he was at my back gate

speaking loudly, “your dog ran away!”

I bolted out of my sleep

and saw his friend pointing up the street

and that’s when I saw her

bouncing around like a lunatic

at the end of the neighborhood

not even looking back

before turning the corner

the fucking bitch.