my favourite things/ Sam dog and a half moon rising

Sam dog and a half moon rising
the air crisp and clean
echoe of owls in the night
a distant train
its soft rumble
caught up in the starry sky
high above the whole world

this part sleeping

my blood flowing
like the coyotes
and Sam and Canoe
cold noses stuck in the tall grass
and under loose logs
seeking
little 
things
that play
in
the
night

Canoe ran off
to chase the
wild things

I thought I would
sit with Sam awhile
as he lay in the sand
surrounded by everything beautiful
wide grassy fields
tall spruce and poplars
aged cottonwoods

the long shadows
cast themselves
against the barn
while the Milky Way
and a host of
the starry
heaven
cast themselves
across the heavens
all of us
arms lifted
content

praises
taking wing
light from the heart
because of my Burden Bearer
my Faithful One

how can one see the night
so full
and not notice the One
who paints the colours
and casts the shadows
against the
half moon rising

shadows
so entirely soft
against
our Sam dog
his head lifted to the Light
his nose catching scents
in the breeze
I know nothing of

I thought I would lay my head on Sam
like you see in a kid's storybook
of a summer's day
of a boy and his hound
or a girl and hers

I stretched out on the sand
and put myself comfy
on this great white pyrenese
maremma hound of mine

It wasn't like the storybook though

he darted out from under me and settled a few meters away
gazing intentedly at me

I pretended to be offended

he lept up and bounded over to me
and with a humungous leap
settled on 'my' lap

so
like perhaps in another storybook
somewhere
I scratched him on his ears
massaged deep around his neck
itched his belly
and whispered how much I loved him
sweet hound that he was
big and overflowing
content

He settled completely relaxed 
and star gazed with me
our dippers spilling out secrets

the North Star
tipping the little dipper

its blessings
falling
and filling
our night

Sam dog
thought I should
stay like this for a very long time

multiplied by seven for dog years

lifting my beloveds
and theirs
to the One
who holds our every wish
our every tear
our every laughter
I stayed
a long time

the night is a good friend
to smell its freshness
to see the glory above
to hear the night hawks cry
to feel the softness and warmth of a dog's fur
as cold dew settles all around
to taste and see that the Lord is good
and is happy to meet in the middle of a big field
in the cool of a starry night
with a girl
and her hound

Sam dog and a half moon rising
my favourite things