The sun remains set
but we are both awake.
You more anxious than me

To go outside.
It isn’t until I feel the chill of the air
That I realize
You aren’t the only one
Who has been holding it all night.
“What’s the difference,” I ask
“Between this and a camping trip?
You know the kind
Where a shovel counts as outdoor plumbing
And you’re grateful for
The softness of a leaf?"

So I make my way to the fence
And with a nod of understanding
And a wag of your tail
You leave

Me alone with my thoughts.
Moments later we both return inside,
Relieved.