Dog-School Graduation

After flyball and agility demos,
after the rain started stacatto
against the tin roof of the warehouse
where we met for class, after eight weeks
in which we came to heel, about turn,
sit, lay down, stay, come, and come-for,
after all the work Daisy and I deserved
the victory lap we took with our diploma,
mugging and waving like we were on parade,
streaking ahead of Gypsy, Jazz, Comet,
Augie, Toby, Cthulu, Boomer, Onie, Cisco,
and their handlers whose names
I never needed to know.