Not a dog person
I went to the desert to play my piano and protest the expansion of the uranium mine there. They had a solar powered sound system. It was called a “protestival”. Protest in the day, festival at night. I was sitting super close to the fire becuase it’s freezing in the Australian desert at night. And that’s when this huge grey Labrador came and sat on my lap. He was so relaxed and determined. I don’t like dogs. They slobber on you which is disgusting and they demand that you look after them. I have children so having a dog is out of the question. The grey lab however, could stay on my lap for now as he was super sweet, even though I think that’s actually a stupid thing to say about dogs. He was keeping me warm; even if he wasn’t a lap dog. The fire was dying down when he shifted and left our campsite. When I was a kid, I got attacked by a dog. Then I was afraid of them. So that dog in the desert was super special to me becuase I am not a dog person. After Grey Lab absconded into the sooty night, I played the harp for a while and drank chai tea with my friends. I thought about how Grey Lab was probably leaving to get a good night sleep before the cops came out again in the day time. Grey Lab saw his person get hurt by cops. I helped Grey Lab’s person with some cotton wool, water and Aloe Vera. He was thankful at the time, and I was happy I brought Aloe Vera into the desert, along with my 88 key keyboard. I was also happy that I got to see Grey Lab’s person smile, becuase his smile was beautiful, and whenever he smiled, I looked into his eyes which were always dancing in their own infinite light. While I was thinking of beautiful sparkling eyes, my friend asked me how I could just pick up an instrument and play it, and I really didn’t know how, and I was too preoccupied with the dog to answer my friends question properly. I said something humble and then probably blushed. And he should have know I was mezmarized by the dog, becuase he was right there, and we were talking about how cute the dog was. My friend didn’t even know I was a liar, posing as a dog person! I’m so ashamed for lying. Sorry. I do like that one dog. I just don’t really like dogs at all, apart from him, like all other dogs are terrible, I mean my colleagues used to bring their dogs to the office sometimes, and I would be thinking what about me, I’m not a dog person and you’re all so cool, becuase you are dog people, but I’m not gonna lie. I can be not a dog person and someone who likes dogs (well, a dog) at the same time. Back on the harp by the fire at the campsite with the chai tea, I couldn’t stop wondering why that dog was so peaceful, as I imagined that I was Bjork and plucked the strings of an instrument I was playing for the first time. It was a lot like playing piano. I thought of Grey Lab plodding away into the night with his person. In time to the harp strings. I know right? Pretty beautiful. For a woman who doesn’t even like dogs, Grey Lab is a big deal. I think about Grey Lab every year, especially around July, which is when I was in the desert at the protestival. He’s the only dog I remember, and I had a family dog. Ok I’m not a monster, just hear me out. I was pregnant with my third kid and the family wanted a dog and I said it’s your dog, I’m going to be looking after babies and children. And I can count on one hand the amount of times I fed or walked that dog! I was never his person. And I’m not even grey lab’s person. And I’m still not a god damn dog person. But I loved that dog and when he crashed onto my lap I never in my wildest dreams thought a dog would even like me. One thing to note - uranium is bad and it needs to stay in the ground. Grey Lab would’ve known that. Grey Lab is plodding around out there and then casually and annoyingly plopping himself down onto laps. I love that dog. And I’m not a dog person.
