The Get-Together

It was clear that the dog was going to get
a lot of the attention so I sat there and listened
as she talked talk about how happy she was to
have such a great new friend. And then I listened
to the others, one talking about their recent travels,
another about a great new restaurant, and yet another
about how well their kid is doing in college somewhere
up in Washington State. And because I had nothing to say,
I mostly watched the dog, how its face lit up when its owner
petted its head or sometimes gave it a little scratch.
A little scratch being something I could have used,
but not from anyone there. What I really wanted
was for time to pass so I could slip out gracefully—
get to my gym before the night group showed,
sweating onto the floor and the equipment...

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Jeffrey Zable is a teacher and conga drummer who plays Afro Cuban Folkloric music for dance classes and Rumbas around the San Francisco Bay Area. His poetry, fiction, and non-fiction have appeared in hundreds of literary magazines and anthologies. Recent writing in MockingHeart Review, Remington Review, Ink In Thirds, Third Wednesday, Awkward Mermaid, Soft Cartel, The Bitchin' Kitch, Rosette Maleficarum, and many others. In 2017 he was nominated for The Best Of The Net and The Pushcart Prize.