Golden Weeping Willow, Boston Common Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Visited on November 6, 2021.
Beside the trunk of the Golden Weeping Willow, the dog gnaws the king’s bones. / He wears away slowly and thoroughly the brittle bones. / He cracks a rib. / He splits the rib into shards and chews deliberately to soften the sharp edges. / He savors the flavor. / He wags his tail.
The king is still kind of alive. / The dying king still thinks he’ll survive. / He bargains anxiously with the dog. / He says: Let me live, and I’ll give you all the bones you can eat.”
Pedestrians walk the nearby path. / Joggers and couples and mothers with strollers circle the Commons and pass by the tree as the king makes his plea. / As if one gets their bones back after they’re eaten. / As if the king matters when his body is mush.
A poet sits on a bench and watches the scene unfold.
A poet writes a poem:
golden weeping geriatric dog companion willowy tree
And another:
canine twitching nose busker fingers guitar
And another:
clutter leaves narrow path dark sky worm stupor
A plaque near the trunk names the tree. / Salix alba ‘Tristis’ / Canis Lupus Familiaris / The dog has a name but not a plaque.