Like when Brautigan was fishing
and saw a small waterfall
but it was a flight of stairs

Or the moose we saw in New Mexico
standing near a small grove of trees
we hiked a mile closer
to find a mule tied to a tree

There had been reports of coyotes
in the neighborhood attacking small dogs

Early this morning I saw a coyote
slinking through the watermelon field
a menacing dim gray shape
in the fog
that turned out to be a mailbox

She was safe all along
and my dog never knew
my imaginary concern

Now that I think about it
I’m sure she would have
barked, or whined, and
stayed near the house
had anything been real.