while walking towards the pair as
he crossed a parking lot the man opposite him began shortening the leash he walked
his dog on
meeting the dogs eyes it began pulling
on the leather leashveering off tack the man was taking
he was in the habit of looking
dogs in the eye whether they rode in the
backseat of vehicles in truck beds or barked at him as he crossed before the fenced
yards they were held in
but then he tried to make eye contact with almost everyone
he met
when he was a boy his mother was aware
and disturbed by his penchant of looking people in the eye often she reprimanded himtelling him Stop. It’s rude to look someone in the eye.
You’re a child, you should know your place. They’re adults. They’re not children
or your playmates. You’ll lower your eyes; you’ll do so in respect. Looking them
in the eye in the manner you do is inappropriate, untoward. You’ll respect them,
give them their due.
Stop it. I keep telling
you stop, and you refuse.
one couldnt say she didnt draw a
line
sometimes shed utter Wait till I get you home
but sometimes there on the street in a store shed kneel quickly in front of him
and sharply slap his cheek
I SAID STOP.
however even as a boy he understood that the price hed paidthe price of accepting her punishmenthis
fathers punishment was the cost of him doing what he wanted to do
later he learned that his action
then was a matter of accepting accountability if he got caughtgot found out he was willing
to accept their punishment cracks on the
ass were painful only in the moment the
pain subsided but he still did as he wanted
and that couldnt be taken from him
his parents called him stubborn
maybe stubborn was appropriate as long as it also described that he
consciously did what he wanted that he understood the up-side and the possible
down-side
pain is brief it brings one into the moment suddenlyaware
accountability
as they approached each other
tangentially the man quit shortening the leash and began yanking ityanking it
hard to avert the dog who wished to continue towards him
Heel, dammit! Heel, Dolly! yanking
again and again
she wasnt big adamant though he did turn herdrag her despite her scrabblingpawing noisily at the
blacktop continuing to pull on the leash towards him
they didnt take their eyes off
one another
they evidently liked what they
saw
he admired her earnesther
steadyfastness
her stubbornness
he realised he never once glanced at the man
he wasnt their breed
1416, Sunday,
27 1. 19
1207, Saturday,
9 2. 19
Fleetwood Mac Show Me a Smile https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6nEogq7pRQ
