stray dog

He barks at the biker passing by,
then follows an apprehensive woman
loyalty misunderstood
she rushes away keeping an eye on him
then a mixed breed with some pit bull in him appears
and he scuffles until tail hidden between his hinder legs
he runs away from the mighty neighbor
scampering to the approaching tires of a pick-up truck
off he goes again in concentrated bark
then looks around and scurries to the curb
before the next car he leaves his mark
on the sour orange tree trunk by the bar
tirelessly, overexcited, in heated confusion
a tongue-out attempt to keep up

The man sips the last drop of his cortado
to no effect yet
his eyelids still weigh tons
and the looming headache forestalls
him of recovering the images of the day

Up above the circling buildings
the new moon looks now slightly smaller