The pandemic puppies turn two this summer
Puppies, all pets really
kittens, fish, birds, even a house plant
Other life forms adopted to help make
quarantine
isolation
loneliness
boredom
just a bit more tolerable.
because
ten pounds of fluffy, unconditional love
makes everything better.

The pandemic puppies turn two this summer
no longer wriggly, floofy
piles of cuteness
but
solidly entrenched as members
of the family
holding down the fort
so to speak
as family members head out
to battle life
at work
at school
out there
where the rules still change daily
but no one tells anyone else.
the danger is still there
but we’re tired of it
we’re done with it.
and the only good thing about it
is the warm, tail-wagging welcome
we get upon our return to safety.

The pandemic puppies turn two this summer
but also
so does the pandemic.