dog behaviour, human behaviour, poetry
We planted this lovely clematis on the north side of a shed. I’d remembered my mother’s instructions that they liked to have their roots kept cool but had forgotten the part about them needing sunshine too. It languished, a fragile stick, flowerless.
Early this spring, we moved it to a pot on our deck. Roots are still cool but now the southern sunlight shines and we have been rewarded with amazing flowers.
The surest thing I know about time, is that I don’t know anything.
It expands, contracts and stretches wide, intra-dimensionally.
Joy makes my clocks run faster, sorrow makes them slow.
Children and dogs make time flash by.
My lost ones spin out into spaceblack infinity.
Playing in my garden, stops time in its tracks.
Contemplating my first year asparagus,
Shoots me into the future.
Delicious.
Time
Clenched, hunched,
Jaws clamped tight,
Brow, twisted with bitter intent
Summon bits of strength against
The rolling flow
A treacly wave that threatens to
sweep you over that edge.
Not so far away,
You can see it, just there.
You struggle to stay strong,
Planting your feet, quivering
Exhausted thighs braced against
a wave filled with broken furniture,
Cars and homes and people,
Crashing past.
The horizon disappears,
That great divide between
what is and what is not,
Breathe faster, work harder
Suffocating more, there’s
always more and more.
The tide lifts you skyward,
picks you up and sets you down,
To where you can’t remember.
On the beach, exhausted.
Gritty sand beneath your cheek
Your skin thin and wrinkled
Breathing short and shallow
And still you fight
to push it back,
as it laps your toes.
Let time be your steed,
A milk white mare
Get on, hold tight and ride.
Her muscles bunch and stretch
Her forelegs reach and paw the miles
Hindquarters sink, deep into the earth
Your body floats,
your arms reach out, to
bury your face in her rough mane
and ride.
Your calves grip her sides and your feet try to meet
She leaps forward, you nearly slide off
Her silken rump,
She slows and you find your balance once again
And ride.
Her fine head tosses, eyes rolled back
She’s coursing ahead,
You laugh
And let your heart leap forward with her.
Time is a steed,
A milk white mare,
Hold on tight
And ride.
Crufts. What an amazing experience. Four days watching beautiful and brilliant dogs of every variety, performing, playing or sometimes just being with their humans.
I filled every moment I could over the four days; admiring dogs in the show ring, exploring more about each breed at the wonderful “Discover Dogs” displays, watching dogs tear around agility courses, dance with their owners, sniff out contraband and take down criminals.
There were hundreds and hundreds of commercial booths, offering an unimaginable range of dog related goods and services. There were a few for cat lovers too. I succumbed to buying a few toys and a leash. Irresistible.
Crufts was vast, sprawling and deluxe. Well organized from start to finish; the show was frankly, flawless.
I highly recommend the Crufts Experience if you like dogs, even a tiny bit. There’s something for everyone, from the incredible Golden Retriever teams and Canine Good Neighbour routines, to the grand finale, Best in Show.
I set up the grooming table in the snow. There were enough outdoor distractions to keep him occupied, while I took pictures.
