Sunday, December 27, 2015

Dogs Without Leashes




















Photo: (c) Jamie K. Reaser


Dogs have stories.
People have stories.

~

I saw her in the morning, on one of those
sites on the internet. I had gone for two
months without a dog. That was enough.
In the afternoon, I drove to the shelter,
an hour and a half, and asked to meet her.

A middle-aged woman went to the back,
to the place of cement and shiny metal, of
kennel rows and forlorn once-they-were-wolves
singing out their deep grief and longings.

I waited.

The door opened. She slunk into the room
on her pink belly. I came to my knees
to greet her.

“Hello, pretty girl.”

She urinated on the floor. I lifted my right hand
to the nape of her neck, and began stroking
her soft fur, black and white, all the while saying
lovely things. She trembled and tried to make
herself smaller than her bones were able to go.

Beneath my fingertips, under her tight skin, rolled
hard round pellets, several, put there by a shotgun blast.
Trapped there. Part of her body.

“May I take her for a walk?”

Outside, she strained to the end of the nylon leash,
wild-eyed, scanning the woods and fields,
planning the direction and speed she would go,
should she break from what tethers her to this world.

~
Whenever we go hiking, she runs out ahead of
me on the trail – up the mountain or down. Every
so often she’ll stop, and look back, tongue lolling.

“Are you coming?!” 
“Please, let’s keep going!”

“Yes. I’m coming.”
“I’m coming, pretty girl.”

She runs back down the path towards me, smiling,
coming nearly close enough for me to touch her, but
never close enough. There’s a glint in her eye. Her tail
is wagging. She turns, and bolts off again, full speed
ahead, and around the next bend.

I watch her go.

~
When I went back into the lobby, the woman
behind the counter looked anxious, embarrassed,
perhaps, apologetic.

“We have lots of other dogs,” she said.
“I can bring you several more to meet.”

“No need,” I said, handing her the adoption
form and the fee.

“We understand each other.”




© 2015-2017/Jamie K. Reaser
From "Conversations with Mary"
To be published by Talking Waters Press in 2017

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Saturday, December 26, 2015

Coming Home: Now Available!



















NOW AVAILABLE...

"In this collection of new poems, Jamie K. Reaser explores the journey and meaning of coming home. She invites the reader along as welcomed guest, witness, and co-walker. The way is demarcated by the themes that define her work: nature and human nature. Whether the poems were inspired by reflections on birthright, a black dog, or someone poaching wild ginseng, Reaser reminds us that the only way to truly come home is to actively love this world – a learning process for every human."


Visit Amazon.com or other major online retailers
Or, ask your local independent bookstore to order a copy for you

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Winter Solstice
















Photo: (c) Jamie K. Reaser


Sometimes it is the growing darkness
that writes the lines. How foolish we
are to think that we are not bound by
this. The red bird and I are animals. You
would admit to this too, I think. Short days
make for short foraging. It’s not always
about food though. Sometimes, it’s about
finding something else vital that you need to
sustain you. Survive. Joy, for example.

I know people who are starving.

I put out seed for the birds. I have enough to
share and their joy is mine. That’s what the
short days are for – to realize that time is short.
We best receive what is offered and give joy.

“Come! Come! The feeder is full.”

The sun is rising. Make thoughtful haste. 


~ Jamie K. Reaser, Author
Published in "Conversations with Mary: Words of Attention and Devotion"

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