Dog sitting

Dog sitting

The dog seems happy enough

To chew on a bone

Held between his paws

Taking his time to crack it open

Enough to reach the marrow

The simplicity of its pleasure

A lesson in patience

Humans might like to follow.

If I was chewing a bone

It would be a problem

To mull over

An irritant

An anxious attachment

To a difficult issue

A struggle to let go,

Giving me a sleepless night

Of tossing and turning.

There is no wanting

To a dog's life

There is no intentionality in it

Either it is well-fed and content

Or it is asleep

The happiness of ignorance.

The tendency toward an existential crisis

Is a human malaise

There is potential, even glory in the capacity

To self-reflect

To self-actualise

Which can mean opting out.

People feel guilty for no apparent reason

Die from embarrassment when singled out for praise

Though frequently sanguine

Are secretly disappointed when ignored,

Sorely tempted to boast

Before thinking better of it.

The dog is happy to accept

A belly rub from a stranger

Most humans would take exception

To such an intrusion

Into their personal space.

Even an open face is no guarantee

Of acceptance

When all the best grifters

Are the most likeable

People you could ever wish to meet.

The dog seems to understand

Who to trust

And when to let go,

The bone can be set aside

And hidden in the cupboard

Until the next time

I need to give him a treat

Just to get him out from under

My feet.