Fetch
by Anne Marie Wells
After Kim Dower’s Gwen’s Scared of the Lemon
I pretend to throw the ball for Bella, and she darts across the grass before looking back at me with accusation. I wave to her with my empty hand. My secret-keeping hand hides flushed against my spine. Her muzzle points in all directions, tries to catch the scent. Nostrils to the earth, she gives me, the love of her life, the benefit of the doubt. Her faith in me makes me feel bad for lying, and I lob her beloved treasure into the air.
And so what? You, too, have deceived someone just to see what they would believe. Perhaps a kiss from lips with someone else’s name written across them. An I love you offered like candied garlic. A promise to be better spoken with a confetti tongue. At least I made up for the deception I created out of my own curiosity. At least I took that chance.
Anne Marie Wells is the author of two poetry collections: Survived By: A Memoir in Verse + Other Poems (Curious Corvid Publishing, 2023) and Mother, (v) (Cinnamon Press, 2024). She is the content and copy editor for Mama’s Kitchen Press and is available for freelance projects. Find her on social media at @AnneMarieWellsWriter or on her website at AnneMarieWellsWriter.com