sometimes love is completely uncomplicated

Tiny, wet nose nudged my chin on his way into the pocket of my November coat; rain and darkness settling one purely selfish, unilateral decision I cared not to examine.  Two pounds of silky fur and a too-big heart trembled against my hip as I shifted through gears of trepidation and determination on our way ‘home,’ where walls whispered in loops of incomplete sentences and closed doors.

 

I brought him home

to save only me.

 

And softer were my sad songs and shallow moon rises, fires on the mountain and freezing fingers.  Longer became my tolerance for inequity and deeper my understanding of . . . silence.

 

So many years; symbiotic heartbeats in three-quarter time embedded within those walls that no longer constrain me.  How a wet nose beneath my chin and the sleepy sighs of one small being wrote for me the answers to vacant windows and cold sheets.  I dunno.  Perhaps it was his blind trust, his inherent reliance on me, the simplicity of my love for him that allowed me to finally . . . go.

 

***

 

And there are days she doesn’t think of him at all.

Then there are the nights her errant dreams must surely

cause him to whimper in dream.sleep . . . a memory scratching

~ the scent of her as familiar

as that place just beneath her chin

Reviews

[Ed Hart]

my goodness lady...there's a song here for nora jones to be singing, or perhaps emmalou harris, or maybe we have to go back to another era to find the voice for it...some memories move into our lives like we'd advertised on graiglist for a roommate...it sure ain't puppy-love

[J]

i juss love the way yer mind works, hart. you tickle me -- dang country song as i see it.

[SkinlessFrank]

And this reminds me how much we underestimate the power and grace of the creatures we share this earth with. Without them we would be truly alone.

[J]

they leave such imprints on our hearts n souls, it's impossible to let them go ... thank you d. :)

[Ken Simm.]

My dogs have all come back to me and yet are still here.
I still feel that cold nose in my hand from years ago and this morning
They are still running through me and I still love them.
This moved me again to the place where they are.

[J]

a poignant, dear memory, ken. they steal a piece of our hearts before we even realize it's missing. my little guy went the way of the ex, but as you say, he is sill here. thank you for sharing, my friend.

[emmajoy]

Gentle-sweet and dreamable; what we spend a liftime looking for, all shapes and sizes, heres and theres, moody and memorable, distant far and not so far away: the word and thought of everything wrapped in the memory of a smidge of once.still loved. Maybe?

Beautifully worded.

[J]

and dear em, always the softest, most loving voice. y.o.u know how it goes w/the pups. and i will have him again someday. thank you for your beautiful thoughts. xx

[Distant horizons]

Sometimes it is uncomplicated, but why when I look at the picture, do I get the feeling that if the dog could speak, it would be saying "me bad" . Has a look that he or she would getaway with it too :-)

[J]

sweet, lorry. he was a corker fer sure. smart 'n stubborn. thanks for your observations. :)

[Distant horizons]

:-)