My Ecclesiastical Dog

Written 4/8


There is nothing new under the sun today,
Except for you and I, dog,
As we walk alone down concrete streets
Beneath low-hanging clouds that hide vestiges
Of sky. Smallish trees and jutting houses
Strike silhouettes as if, in visual soliloquy,
Celebrating the waning of the day
As I pretend we are that evening's newness,
This, our walking, the only two in the world.
Of course, you'll say, even this is nothing new,
For humankind has walked alongside his faithful
Companion for ages.
To which I'll reach out and scratch your head,
Right behind the ears, and tell you
Nor is it new for you to be so wise,
As you were always faithful friend and muse.
But even as our shadows across the streets of time
Don't etch new paths but trace the old ones,
Still we agree that this moment is a new moment in time,
And this, now, and this,
And this,
And for this moment, all is new,
All our own, and to ourselves.