I wonder if those clouds could get any lower

I notice them as I drive home and they make me want to go slower

The sky boasts a purply-yellow hue

Beyond the stoplight and past the railroad tracks the sun breaks through

Outside it’s 40 degrees

I try to get home before the sun and the temps further sink

Finally I get home, to the outside of my truck windows

Bundle up at sunset

The Golden retriever with me wiggles his nose

Our surroundings turn amber

The crows and hawks place their bets

How wonderful it is to walk and breathe the cold air

The clouds dissipate like my childhood hopes

I think on the day and there’s a little bit of despair

Why do dogs die

Why is my best friend always fried

Why is my brother alone

Why are my parents getting old

We walk the sidewalk, even run a little to try to work an uneasiness out

Past the man’s house – the man who had a lung mass

Next to the church by the overpass where the homeless guy sleeps

And the churchgoers drive away in their Jeeps

The darkness moves in

Do dogs go to heaven

Will my best friend ever come home so I can hug her

Will there be a family for my brother

How do I spend the remaining time with my mom and dad

And what about the homeless man

We circle the neighborhood

I appreciate how a walk does the soul good

But there’s still a lot I don’t understand

I see the full moon rise

Wipe the mist from my eyes

I wish I could grab the moon

Can I pull heaven down

How I long for it to come here soon