A Cellarful of Nose - Future Shoes

It was the look I saw in Beauregard's eye, the look of a
knowing one, a holy of holies at last. He had made the difficult
crossing, from a crazy, impulsive, demanding animal to one who
saw, and enjoyed, the life we shared.
Wallace Stevens wrote a simple poem called "A Jar in
Tennessee," about coming upon a human artifact on a wild
hillside. Placing anything human in the wilderness changes
everything, just like in the time travel stories. The consciousness
is contagious. Just as owning a dog is a kind of portage, in which
your soul enters the dog forever and vice versa – a miracle.
It's entirely likely, since he is a French poodle, and Stevens is
the poet of that breed. And it was such a gorgeous day, with the
scent of sand and pine adrift in the air like microfine confetti in
the morning breeze.
(1997)
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