Stay

The dog came back without the boy.

She came up the road we never take.
The fence-line dogs did not bark for her.
They have always known her.

Her mouth was clean.

I said his name and she sat down.
She has been sitting in the doorway since.
Her shadow has moved across the boards
and is moving still.

My hand is on the frame.
I did not put it there.

The kettle on the stove has gone cold.
Someone called the house once
and stopped calling.

The light has been going for some time.

The dark is in the trees already.