ANTHONY'S ASHES

Me and Anthony circa 2007.

This poem is a true story. It happened today!








PICKING UP ANTHONY’S ASHES

by matt burns

I knew I needed to go there myself

I felt I needed some sort of closure

Everybody else from my family felt really awkward

And uncomfortable 

And sad about going

But I was pretty sure I could handle it

So I drove to the Vet

I parked

I walked in…

There were a couple of people in the waiting area

And there was a young Vet Tech at the desk

It was awkward as hell

“I’m here to pick up my dog’s…um…ashes.”

The Tech gave me her condolences

I thanked her

She handed me a small, gift-like bag with a wooden box of ashes in it

It was even more awkward

I handed her the check that covered the expenses

My hand was shaking as I handed her the check

The girl could tell I was nervous

She gave me the receipt and said she was sorry again

I thanked her one more time, took the bag with the ashes and left

I got into my car and put the bag on the floor of the passenger seat

I started driving out of the parking lot

But I realized the bag was not secure

I stopped and secured the bag – this time, in the backseat

It took me ten or fifteen seconds

I finally pulled out of the lot and into the busy street

I was behind a black pick-up truck and I stopped at a red light

It took me a moment to see it

And also a moment for it to register in my brain

But I was staring at a word on the back of the truck

It said ANTHONY in big white letters

It was an advertisement for a company Anthony Builders, something like that

But the name ANTHONY was in big letters, everything else small

ANTHONY

The odds of this happening, I think, are one in a million, maybe more

And I don’t think that’s an exaggeration

Had I not stopped and secured the ashes for the ten or fifteen seconds

I never would have ended up behind that particular truck

And I never would have seen the name ANTHONY

The timing was perfect

I’m pretty sure my dog was saying Hello

And letting me know he was OK