MY SISTER TELLS ME
by Kathleen McClung
and we hear
barking barking
in a minute
she will feed him
fill this silence
between us
with can opener hum
careful not to press
jagged edge of lid
into whorls
of fingertips
but she doesn’t
stand up just yet
from beanbag chair
color of jack o’lanterns
on our porch
she doesn’t
fasten the