A Simple Gift

Sleek and silky, Rufus awaits

Best dog in the world -

knowing that,

as light turns golden,

the moment will come.

“Walk?” I ask.

Up he leaps,

tail sweeping side to side,

and, dare I add,

he’s smiling?

Patient, he accepts the leash,

his required tether

of domesticity.

We leave our yard.

On concrete walks and

paved paths, he trots,

denying himself sumptuous scents

and opportunities of relief,

trusting

the moment will come.

Inside the course,

I unsnap the lock.

Black and white fur blows back

as he bounds across green grass

against a twilit sky.

Beyond my gaze,

he roams free,

unaware, I think, of me.

But then, with stick in mouth,

he returns and drops it at my feet.

The invitation so clear:

“Play with me,

and see what I can do!”

Over & over I throw the stick

to his delight and mine.

I laugh, I relax, I revel -

his singular beauty unmatched.

Until, of course, the sky so dark,

I raise my hand and bark,

“Ru!”

And back he comes, ready

to be re-tethered,

to be home.

***************

The golden light is nearing.

I’ve waited long enough.

My tether to domesticity unlocked,

I bound free in new space.

Words, I bring.

“Play with me!” I besiege you.

Take what I offer, what you may need,

as twilight deepens into night.

Then, a hand will rise,

my name called,

And to home

I will return.