Friend

I've just seen a man and his dog going for a walk, I'm not sure if the man was doing the taking or the dog, but down the street they went, leisurely, happily, content with each other's companionship.

The dog was dependant on the man of course. He'd feed it, look after and care for it. But the dog would share in the caring too, wouldn't it? The wag of its tail, the cocking of its head to one side as its man spoke to it, dancing an excited tattoo on the kitchen floor as its lead was taken off the hook behind the door.

That's why they've stayed together so long, both getting on in years but doing it together. Perhaps that's why a man with a dog for a friend seems so much more at peace than a man walking on his own. I'll look forward to seeing them again.

Dennis Crompton © 1996
(first published www.denniscrompton.wordpress.com 2013)