She comes to me with her paw—
a single tap, then a scratch,
the way a question becomes a fact.

Brindle dog, striped in tan,
brown and black, a wild pattern
on a calm & gentle heart.

She knows what she wants—
water, a treat, the patio door slid open
to the yard where she stretches long
soaking in the Santa Fe sun,
the light shining on her the way
it lights up everything it loves.

Note: Written in collaboration with Claude (Anthropic)