Born Free

by Sherry Grant and Michael Dylan Welch

First published in Tandem 2:2, October 2022 (actually June 2023). Written 22 November 2021 via Facebook chat.       +

spa bath

a muddy chihuahua

breaks free Sherry

the prize goldfish

leaps from its bowl Michael

glistening silk

my pet tarantula

lands on mum’s pie Sherry

groceries unpacked

her cockatoo eyeing

the half-open door Michael

the gecko’s tail

twitches in the corner Sherry

daughter off to college

the hamster’s grave

unmarked Michael