masterwordsmith-unplugged

As some of you might have realized, I have been posting lots of inspiring articles on pets. The following post by my blog reader Achibong was first posted in response to my post on The Journey.  Achibong's post is spontaneous, beautiful, poignantly exquisite and moved me to tears. Thank you, Achibong, for sharing straight from your heart. You are blessed with a firm and steadfast relationship with your beloved canine friend. Take care, keep on walking and please keep on writing too!!! If you would like me to post a photo of your dog, please send it to my email address as listed in the other post. Dear readers, here's Achibong's post which I have titled The Horizon Over the Hills.

I take long walks - alone, or used to be.

That evening, you joined in. From nowhere you followed a few paces behind, cautious not to attract a reprimand. I ignored you. A kilometer down the road, you dropped back the distance. You stopped and you gave up. “Come” I said, I can make do with a companion. You raced back. Thus begin our regular 10 kilometer walks, together.

That evening we walked through parks, shops and residential areas. You walked playfully in front of me and you walked around me, tipping garbage bins and scurrying cats to trees and alleys. Many times you walked ahead falling out of sight, and then turned around waiting for me. You didn’t realize you have more legs than me.

Then came the overhead pedestrian bridge. Putting all fours on steps made for two is a tricky thing to do. You placed your paws on the first steps waiting for courage that never came. What are friends for you looked at me. I went down on my fours to show you the way.

So you tripped, stumbled and missed a good many steps before landing on the bridge. Climbing down the other end is trickier, head first or bottom you wonder. Sorry my friend, I couldn’t show you the way down while other pedestrians were around. I feel your desperation; you were scared of the height and scared of falling down. You turned back to where you came. It then struck you that turning back is also climbing down! You started scratching all over your body looking silly. Now’s my turn giving up, adios my friend as I took the steps straight down. I did not see you tumble and stumble but I know you did. You did make it down and you make it home, your new home.

A year on I walk alone no more. I make my friends and you make yours on our walks. Man and dog walking get people talking. You now have friends black, white and blue, and I have mine some I don’t have a clue. They wave, they honk and as they do, is it at me or at you?

We walk the streets and the back alleys, the sight of you had some give way in a hurry. You think we are kings making the rounds, but the king in you is you’re the haram.

When your friends big and small, barking behind locked gates and high walls, it’s your being free that excite them all. You are free from a leash and you are free from a collar. They make their master wear the leash while they keep their collar.

These blue bloods look you down; for they have a master to walk them and to pick their poo. They leash end to end when they walk, tugging, shuffling and sometimes going round and round. And you can’t tell out who’s walking who.

You meet the strays you once were, sniffing the front, wagging the rear and you size them all over. Then you bully some, and bullied by some. Man and beasts are equally dumb.

You’ve stopped chasing cars and peeing wheels, you’ve no longer making cats take to their heels; it’s time you stop raiding garbage bins, the long suffering folks want you to refrain.

And that sweetie lassie you are eyeing to come in heat? Walk on my friend, the fence before you will soon make you quit.

We’ve walked the streets, we’ve walked the fields. We will now walk the horizon over the hills.