Sovereign: The Fence & A Rain Cloud
The dog was behind the fence. The suffering was inside me.
This morning I found myself still staring at a fence.
Not literally. Well... yes, literally too.
A tall wooden fence separates our yard from a neighbor’s.
Behind the next yard over… lives a dog I cannot see.
That is the problem.
And that is the lesson.
I hear the dog.
I hear the barking.
I hear the chain.
I hear the scratching at the door.
I hear the metal bowl scraping across the decking.
What I do not hear is the whole story.
The fence keeps me from knowing.
My imagination fills in the gaps.
Perhaps the dog is lonely.
Perhaps neglected.
Perhaps bored.
Perhaps loved.
Perhaps all of these things at once.
The fence remains silent.
