Which line from the poem “About Eileen (Our Neighbor) and Irma (Her Dog)” contains implicit evidence that Irma is sad because Eileen is gone?

Question

About Eileen (Our Neighbor) and Irma (Her Dog)

Responses

“My Eileen is gone, gone”
“My Eileen is gone, gone”

“Slumped against the gate”
“Slumped against the gate”

“I’m abandoned, alone”
“I’m abandoned, alone”

“and howls her discontent”
“and howls her discontent”

Story:At 8:15 in the morning . . .
Sad eyes watch
Eileen drive away–
Irma mourns.
Slumped against the gate,
the old dog foghorns
her sorrow
to the neighborhood.

Irma’s desolate moans
tell us what she thinks:
I'm abandoned, alone.
White-muzzled Irma howls
and howls her discontent:
My Eileen is gone, gone . . .
My friend on the phone
can hear Irma cry.
I explain what’s wrong.

At 8:30 in the morning . . .
Wait–Irma hears a car.
Her howling stops.
The old dog wriggles with joy.
I was not abandoned.
I am not alone.
My Eileen has come home!

Answer 1

The line from the poem that contains implicit evidence that Irma is sad because Eileen is gone is:

“Slumped against the gate”

This line suggests Irma's sadness and distress over Eileen's absence, as her posture indicates a sense of hopelessness and despair in waiting for her owner.