As when a single drop

of  white vinegar

 

first touches

baking soda,

 

his tears erupted

spontaneously

 

when the first

word about his now

dead dog

 

emerged from his

lips and touched

 

the dry, desert air.

 

And then one day

as another word

 

emerged, he thought

about the tear

 

as it, too, emerged

but just a moment

later,

 

and knew, it was time

to let the air dry

 

the tear and cry

 

no more

 

when he spoke

of his

 

now dead dog.