Tree Barks, I Answer
Tree of life, lifegiver of songs, stands tall among friends. Leaves are big, big big big, and shake so funny when the rain comes down.
Other dog told me that the tree barks. I have not heard this bark, but dogs do not lie. So maybe this tree is just shy.
I like the smell of mud after it is cleaned with rain. I drop my muzzle to the ground and smell — good smell. Very good smell indeed, yes. Worms and crickets and… no, just those. Other things too, but no names for those so no reason to think of them. Why think of names for things that are not things? I do not see them as things, so they are not things. Only things are things.
God watches. Sees me — sees Dog, sees me go
Woof? Yes.
Cacophony — too many sounds now in the forest, all around. Ears hurt. Birds chirping into madness. Mating season, that’s why, probably. Looking for other birds from other places of other colors — red, orange, purple, yes, normal colors, but also vermilion, feldgrau, celadon, coquelicot… strange colors. I cannot see all of them, but I can tell which is which and which is not the one from before or after.
Words! Words, words, words. Don’t need those but have them. Why? Bigger dogs had bigger ideas, probably. Silly.
God watches. Sees river — river where Dog is.
River is good today, with many fish. Many names for fish, like minnow or tench or sturgeon, and I know these words but not why! Why words? I am Dog. I am small and wild and though I have met those that are not, we just
Woof? Yes.
And then we keep talking, and they tell me names for things. But who cares? Names of things are for those dogs, not Dog. Dog needs no names for names of things that are not things are not names but just… just… words. I see fish, and I click my teeth at them and they go away, but they are not real, they are just things. Words.
River moving quick, quicker than before. Strange — sky looks good, not scary like when sky is mad at me and kills trees because I was bad, but I am scared of river. Yet on the other side of river is more tree, and I have not been to see those trees, and I must see if tree bark, so I go.
I am in river. I am wet. Cold.
God watches. Sees river rising — rising around Dog.
Fear — heart pounding in my chest. Fur is wet and I shudder because the wind is faster, faster than it was before. My paws were touching the dirt on the river floor, crinkling around shells and twigs, but now I cannot feel the ground.
Swimming, doing my best. Not like the fish do, or the other things that swim like worms but not worms, and speak with words but not words. I do not understand but I try and not knowing scares me.
Breathing becomes slow, slow, slow… hard. I don’t know why, but things are dim, and the water is rising, and I do not know what will happen
Wind is gone. Just water. Fish. Roots. Pieces of wood from trees. Drowning. I can’t breath, so I try to
Woo-?
No — no air. Can’t breath, can’t
Can’t bark like tree, just
Just can’t
Just
It’s over, isn’t it?
Okay
God watches.
