THE VETERINARIAN

Animals came
on their own
to be healed
by St. Blaise.

My patients
are brought by car.
Often looking
apprehensive, I think

some feel a trip
by car cannot
end well. I lied
to the young boy

who asked if his dog
felt the pain
of the shot, the surgery
and unfortunately

her death. The lie,
St Blaise, a venial sin
if a sin at all.
He then asked

if his dog would
be waiting in heaven.
I told him that Giselle,
his beagle, was at peace

and that, yes, dogs like his
had a special place
in the afterlife. Giselle
had already been

in heaven, sleeping
each night
on the boy’s bed,
living her best life.

I too think about life
after death, wonder
if my dog will be waiting.
I can envision the room,

the lamp’s soft incandescent glow,
the table with the unfinished book,
a fresh glass of red wine,
the dog asleep beside my chair.

John Peter Beck is a professor in the labor education program at Michigan State University where he co-directs a program that focuses on labor history and the culture of the workplace, Our Daily Work/Our Daily Lives. His poetry has been published in a number of journals including The Seattle Review, Another Chicago Magazine, The Louisville Review, and Passages North among others.