The Leash Summary

"The Leash" opens with images of bombs, gun violence, and a river that has been badly polluted by a coal mine. The speaker admits her own hopelessness at these realities, but then says to the reader, "Don't die." She thinks there must still be beauty in the world, and even though she doesn't know all the answers, she is grateful for the days she can live happily with less sorrow. Then the speaker describes walking her dog, who always tries to run straight into the street when pickup trucks drive by, not realizing how dangerous they are. The speaker saves her dog by tugging on the leash and continues the walk, thinking about how humans, too, often chase the things that will destroy them in their quest for love and meaning. The poem ends with the dog walking calmly again at the speaker's side, and the speaker seems grateful for this peace, but she knows it will soon be interrupted by another truck.