Digger

We called him Digger
because, when he wasn’t too drunk,
he dug graves.

We called him Digger
because he thought poorly,
and a dog’s name seemed apt.

We called him Digger
because we needed to isolate
his sickness from our own.

We called him Digger
because he smiled as
his addiction betrayed him.

We called him Digger
because our help
failed each time.

We called him Digger
because, when he went missing,
we didn’t remember his name.