The Dogs Still Bark

i saw him through the screen door, the sun casting just right. his beard gone all gray now, eyes cracked a ghost of a smile. he doesn't notice me right away but the dogs do, crowding at my feet like they always have. like nothing shifted not a thing has changed between this moment and the last one they remember. and i'm different, i know that now. a slow change a crooked step, each breath stretching out a second longer than before. he's just the same with more grays, more creases, more of that post cigarette cough laughter that somehow still feels like home. a home i can't live in. the dogs bark and nudge me, i bend down because i don't know what else to do.