To my beloved old hound.

The Companionship of the Hound

O what a great and quiet joy it is stroll alongside a dog -

your dog.

To experience the simple wonders of nature through the senses -

together.

What a pleasure it is to possess all the five senses.

They operate in perfect harmony -

sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste.

All such senses work together

and when some fail the others prevail,

becoming stronger as they endure.

They make the gradual amble with an aged dog

a far more enjoyable and reflective time

than the otherwise lonesome and energetic jog that it may have been.

Sight: grants one the opportunity to observe one's sensorial surroundings.

Smell: allows you to inhale the fragrance of the flora

and the heavy breath of your dog, pacing patiently beside you.

Sound: enables you to hear the song of the birds and the soft rustle of leaves.

Taste: assists one to taste the fresh air that flows

as a consistent stream into the mouth, landing delicately on the taste buds.

Touch: allows one to feel the fur of the hound

alongside you as you meander along the path.

These things encompass the pleasure of the companionship of the hound.

A companionship that is the very best of friendship;

a friendship that is unique to that of the dog.

Panther of the Night

There is something about the evening that seals the events of the day.

Something in the air, coolly caressing ones mind and body.

Something that provokes nostalgic tendencies.

Something that persuades one to indulge in fantasies and misgivings

(these becoming increasingly vivid as the night progresses).

Something that urgers, coaxes, and convinces one to

submit, forget, lose oneself amongst its untamed and secretive grasp.

These imaginings are so insistent that one simply must, must, yield.

Obey, the soft, gentle, velvet voice of the night.

Listen, to the mournful moaning of the wind.

Rest, in the warmth and fortification of the sheets and blankets,

allowing them to enfold one.

We, who do not bend our thoughts upon the night,

see it not as the dark and dangerous panther.

Even if we do consider such a beast it is as one

behind the bars of shelter as it is and may ever be.

But some see this animal face to face.

Have little protection against its tormenting talons.

They do not have the bars of four walls and such warmth as we.

For they are in the cage with the Panther, they are its prey.

They take cover within the shadows and stones,

that manifest in the formation of newspapers and underneath  shop fronts.

But these are not sufficient to survive such a predator.

Sooner rather than later the Panther prowls and strikes.

They are consumed.

Will one ever have compassion upon these victims?

Of course one will!

Now what will one gain?

Faces

What is a face?

It is a place where a range of expressions is portrayed

and by which many of their owners are betrayed.

It is avowed by the general populace that faces are worn only by those

through whose blood pulsates.

I however entertain a different belief...

For I am certain that such faces are not alone possessed by those afore mentioned.

Countenances are common amongst numerous subjects of the natural kingdom;

over which Christ rules and shall not forsake.

When one perceives those occupants of the courtroom of creation,

identifying the individual designs of their demeanours

one cannot disengage from the inspection of such shapes that form them.

The knobs in the trees, the indentations within the rock, the upturned petals of the flowers,

the ripples of the sun-lit water, and the soft curves of the clouds.

The faces of the natural world surround us day by day.

All we need to do is turn our own around and look.

The Hope of Heaven

I dream.

I dream that one day (however distant that may be),

that one day I will see that preverbial light, that is freedom.

When I walk into that light, I will take with me no more

dark and dismal disappointments, sorrows,

perpetual fatigue, and chains of captivity within my life.

For that light shall cleanse me of all that living life in a sinful world brings.

In that glorious light I shall join others

whose chains have begun to break and disintegrate.

Most importantly I will wander,

hand-in-hand, eye-to-eye, and voice-to-voice with my saviour and my God.

And this will be the epitome of fulfilment and freedom.

I wait, work, live, and belong to that day (as do many others),

the day when the tears will be wiped from all increasingly scarlet eyes.

For now I merely glimpse pieces of the puzzle of the immense joy yet to come.

In those fragments I can observe the faces of

my brothers and sisters in Christ and all that surrounds them,

including the many marvels of creation that captivate me daily

along with the many gifts and talents that he has granted unto us all.

We await with patience and hope the day when he will return.

On that day we will see some, (if not all), of those that we love and grieve for at present.

And in all of these things God provides us with the greatest gift that he could give;

HOPE.