Although dog is bored, dog does not complain.
An occasional sigh, expulsion of disgruntled breath.
I tell him I’m bored too, but not enough
to fetch his lead. He settles for a rub
and a tickle or two. I like his composure.
‘Pleasure is the absence of pain, ’I tell him,
and, comma-like, his presence comforts me.
He has accepted me, after abandonment,
has stories I will never hear, a life
lived without and before us. We are not
so dissimilar then. New lives constructed
when the disappointments and the blows
bring down the here and nows.
He shows how it is possible, to decide
to continue. To re-emerge, perhaps
never to see the world the same again.
The walks, though unfamiliar , unnerving
still contain smells too exciting to ignore.
Comments
jennifer | February 25, 2009 - 19:04
‘Pleasure is the absence of pain,’ I tell him,
and, comma-like, his presence comforts me.
Love this line, but I think it needs a few more commas. (ooh, I am punctuation Nazi today!)
and after 'unnerving' unless you mean 'unnervingly'...
I am typing this as my own dog is trying to get on my lap!
J x
Doeslittle | February 25, 2009 - 19:33
More a cat person myself, but this sells the charm of a dog very well. The first stanza is especially effective.
anipani | February 25, 2009 - 20:40
thanks for the comments, I do mean the walks, because of their unfamiliarity, are unnerving for the dog, but he stoically continues becuase of the excitement they bring. Like our lives, sometimes uncomfortable, and requiring courage.
anipani | February 25, 2009 - 20:41
forgot to say, to jennifer, 'comma-like' is the shape he makes when he is curled up on his bean bag. I can't see the need for different punctuation, but am willing to learn.
jennifer | February 25, 2009 - 21:50
I wasn't disputing 'comma-like' - I understood the visual reference and it's a good one. If you look at the pair of lines I have quoted, I have added two commas to them - one inside the closing speech mark to make that correct, and one before 'comma-like', also grammatical.
Do you see?
J x
anipani | February 25, 2009 - 22:03
Got it! thanks Jennifer, glad you got the visual reference, I was a bit bothered there that it wasn't clear! Xani
jennifer | February 26, 2009 - 10:21
Just a note - the comma should be inside the closing speech mark, not outside! And you need a space after a comma before the next word...
J x