Otis Poem by Jefferson Carter

Otis

Rating: 4.7


OTIS


The vet opens our dog’s mouth
& shows us the gray mass on his palate,
the tumor that’s grown so big
his breath whistles through one nostril.
Our options- $6000 for radiation
or do nothing. Goddamn anyone
who denies him a soul. My wife squats
beside him on the linoleum floor,
crooning as he whistles into her palm.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Topic(s) of this poem: dogs
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Luo Zhihai 16 July 2017

Read and like it. It's a nice poem.

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Pamela Sinicrope 04 June 2017

A snippet of a story that tells about the dog, it's owner and the state of veterinary medicine....more interested in money than the animals...too many. The emotion comes out in the line 'Goddam anyone who denies him a soul.' The compressed writing is like a bomb. Makes me sad.

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Glen Kappy 23 May 2017

this is touching, jefferson. and i relate to the moment your hear from a vet what a needed procedure will cost. -glen

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it's a very tough decision when a furbaby has to have a very expensive operation..Look into Sadie's Fund which helps low income pet parents with their bills..your wife's sadness as she tries to comfort the dog is priceless..

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Oliver Ovid 16 April 2014

Sad, but never too maudlin. Just matter of fact, which contrasts with the subject matter, and that contrast is what makes for good poetry. What's interesting is we're not sure what they did (at least I'm not) , and that uncertainty(or uneasiness) is a poet at work.

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