Ghost Leg
Sometimes
he still tries to kick
his missing back leg
when we find
that right there spot
scratch until we see
ripples vibrate
just beneath surface
repeat messages activated
sent to nerves
to spinal cord
to canine brain
kick,kick,kick
brain and medulla don’t care
there is no leg to nudge
the body keeps score
like a pop band
who can’t shake
fan memory’s shadow
of their fourth missing member
who went solo
About the Author: Hayden served as a two-term Poet Laureate for Sinclair College (2021-2025). An award-winning Professor, twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, she currently has three collections, American Saunter (FlowerSong Press), How to Tie Tobacco, and the forthcoming, Old World Wings (Wild Ink Publishing). Winner of the 2023 River Heron’s Editors’ Choice Prize, she lives with her family and many rescue animals including a blind, three-legged pup named Vinny Valentine.
Image Credit: Sir Edwin Henry Landseer: Study of a Dog Lying Down (1860) Public domain image courtesy of Artvee
As It Ought To Be 