Each morning in the early light, when the grass is wet with dew
My pup and I go walking.
It is a solemn ritual we share
Securing the land together.
Oslo clears the way with fearsome growls
I follow quietly in prayer.
My protector is mighty beast, rippled with sinewy strength.
Valiant in his canine dreams, though skittish and untested.
This morning he sniffed danger.
His snowy white hair stood straight.
He froze in silent tension, waiting for his foe.
The sun laughed at his posturing
Painting his white coat pink, rimming his ears in gold
Like a unicorn from ancient tales,
Or perhaps as a harbinger of a coming age
When all God’s colors shall clothe the creatures of a new and peaceable world.