July 4th,1981,candles of a Roman ilk
Unloaded from a chevy [bad word] Into the home her folks had built
Patio was charcoals and extended fam in folding chairs
Safely arced around the yard to focus on the smoking flares
Couple cousins, uncles, aunts, mostly grown-ups, couple brats [bad word] s only two
She's too close to the jumping jacks
Mommy scoops her to the house
Buckles up the booster seat
Rolls her to the storm door
Let her long for all the lunacy
Telephone distracting [bad word] wriggles out her strap
Fingers push the plexi-glass
She's off into the sour patch
Past the pyrotechnics undetected and invisible
Woke the sleeping beagle skipping toward the kidney swimming pool
Off into the yawning blue
The splash would mum the [bad word] s lungs were filling by the time her kin were cognizant
Many [bad word] and sprinted down
All arrive belated but
The beast she had earlier stirred had been alert since waking up
Canine let his gainer fly
Water [bad word] grow
Howling guests assumed the cloven hoofs [bad word] to do-si-do
Frenzied and congested deck
Part to let the elders see
Soggy beagle gently [bad word] in his yellow teeth
Laid the tiny body in the sun before her Father‘s feet
When she choked the liquid through her bluish lips he dropped his knee
Helped the air to reconvene
Towel his [bad word] off
EMT confirm the save
Everybody say
"Good dog!"