Popcorn

My father comes home
Following a long week of camping
And my little dog
Loses his head with excitement

We see him pull up
In our white beetlelike van
And disembark
In his khaki shirt

Just like that
The poodle pops up
Like a bubble bursting on the water
Peering out the window

With little round eyes
He barks, and every bark
Is punctuated by an offsetting
Wag of the stumpy tail

He whines between barks
And I pity him enough
That I would let him out the front door
If it weren't for the other campers

Dad will help them unpack
See that each bag finds each boy
And each boy a way home
To their own excitable mutts

In the meantime, ours
Will stand on the couch
On only two legs
Like a small lupine person

Potbelly brushing the headrest
Paws up on the crown of the couch
As though leaning over the bar
For a better view of the owner