Dogs on the Internet

On the screen I watch my friends
describing the exodus from Florida
they are stuck in traffic
they cannot find a hotel
they can find a hotel but there are no
dogs allowed
anywhere anymore
There are photos of dogs on the internet
swimming away
I wonder how you explain to a dog
that they did not do anything to deserve this
How do you say I love you to a dog, ever,
but especially from underwater
It is the photos of the dogs I cannot handle.

My friend says daily
that she is waiting to hear
from her family
on the island where she was raised
while the rest of America writes
think pieces on
what a citizen is
while all of Puerto Rico goes radio silent; they know what a citizen is.