The puppy’s very much into licking my glasses
which is not a particular fetish of mine.
I don’t much mind wet paw prints on my slacks
or the subsequent claylike stains that follow.
(they usually come out
after a wash or two).
I’m not too bad
with the wet nose in the night
or the occasional smell of dead rat
or what I hope is dead rat.

But the shellacking of saliva
upon my spectacles
is not something I at all enjoy.
The immediate vision problems do not go away
and even the ancillary feeling of spittle on cheeks
does me no good.
I detest it when Mickey does this
and, when I sense the urge,
I hold him back.
petting and holding the collar,
generally distracting the beast.
I try to keep him away
from the windows to my soul.

I don’t like it
the way he shows his affection
but I love the fact that he does.
I can’t get what I want,
but I find, sometimes Mick’ll
gimme some other kind of satisfaction.