The Dogs Are Restless - Nov 19 2023

 

The Dogs Are Restless

Nov 19 2023

The dogs are restless tonight.

They must hear something I’m deaf to

rustling in the woods,

discern some subtle smell

I'm unable to sense,

as oblivious

as ultraviolet and infrared

are to human vision.

They've taught me just how much

I go out into the world

numb,

ears plugged

nose stuffed

eyes blinkered.

As if wrapped in cotton wool,

so even even touch

is not what it was

in a state of nature.

They inhabit this richly layered world

alive with possibility,

while mine is constricted

and mostly theoretical;

words

under artificial light

boxed in by walls.

And what could be more unnatural

than strictly ruled lines

and hard right angles,

recycled air?

Their ears prick

bodies stiffen

eyes light up.

I listen

as raptly as I can

but nothing comes.

Who knew

I've been missing so much;

smug

in my sense of certainty,

deluded

that the known world

had been fully mapped

measured

mastered.

Their excitement turns to frenzy

as they burst out

barking madly.

And I am left holding the door,

peering out

into the sterile air

of a cold dark night.

An expendable human,

not only bewildered

by whatever's lurking out there,

but hopeless in pursuit

and useless in the kill.