My daughter walks up the drive to meet me.
Mom, she says, I have a pet.
She is dragging an old pump
attached to a long black electrical cord.
Meet Pumpy, she says.
Hello Pumpy, I say. She pulls
the red and black cylinder into her arms.
I am trying to prove to you
that I am ready to be a dog owner, Mom.
I am going to take Pumpy for walks
every night and every morning
and give him a bath in the river. Come.
She puts the pump back on the ground
and yanks it up the drive, calling,
Come boy. Good Pumpy.
When we get to the top of the drive,
she picks up Pumpy to cross the street.
You know, she says, the street
is a dangerous place.
And then we walk up the dirt hillside.
There, she finds an old deer bone
and helps Pumpy to bury it.
Mom, she says, what do you think?
I think my heart is breaking
with the purity of her desire.
I think the evening light
makes everything more beautiful.
I think it is hard to say no
to something our loves really want.
No, I say. We can’t get a dog.
But you will be a great dog owner someday.
She knew this would be the answer,
and says, Come, Pumpy,
there’s more to explore.
And though it’s getting dark,
we walk deeper into the woods.