August 2023
‍
"crate training"

‍Every evening, the dog in the building next to mine barks ceaselessly into the night. I wonder what it’s saying, if it even expects a response. If it's simply making noise. Maybe it only means to break the silence. To be heard for the sake of it.

Between barks, a window slams. I hear frustrated footsteps above my room. But this performance does not bother me. I can’t seem to blame the dog. This is its nature. And consider how often I have that same impulse, even as a man: to stretch my body out the window; to forgo words entirely; to simply make a loud sound.