Dave Bonta's "Spoilage" is a small, quiet piece that seems to fold two ordinary moments into one. In the first stanza, a wet, smelly dog is the reason the speaker and someone or something "met to walk." The sound of "mutt" and "met" tied together makes the line feel casual and a little playful, as if the smell hardly matters. The walk happens in the evening, and the speaker's eyes are tired from work.
Then the mood tightens. "The fear of spoil" suggests the speaker worries that something will be ruined, and the final phrase, "my forever ink," hints that this is about writing. Judging by the imagery, ink is meant to last, yet it can still be spoiled, perhaps by dampness, carelessness, or a weary mind. The feeling is gentle anxiety, set beside the earthy comfort of a dog walk. Spoilage appears both in the smelly, wet world outside and in the speaker's worry about their own work.