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| 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
