Bella Poem by Larry Houston

Chopping wood in the side yard
The axe has a satisfying thwack as it hits the wood
the logs split and fall to the sides of the fat stump
steam rises from the back of my neck in the cold air
my cat looks out the window at fat robins
I stack the wood on the front porch
and take off my gloves as I enter the house
sweating
I build a fire
open a can of soup, heat it
fill my bowl, take a sleeve of saltines to the front room
and turn on the radio
Bella jumps in my lap
and I tell her about my day
while rubbing her ears