Old words with Beckham

I was with Beckham briefly today when I stopped by the farm to drop off some more feed. We hung out for ten, maybe twenty minutes... Not really doing anything, just sitting in the sun and cuddling. He is the love of my life. It's hard to believe he's already three years old... I remember the first day I saw him like it was yesterday. Being with him today reminded me of a passage I wrote in my Moleskine in January, 2008:

"Walking next to him amongst the trees, I feel as if i am walking beside a god. His red body vibrant against the grays of the winter landscape, he is bigger, grander than his baby form could be. His serenity belies his scant nine months; his eyes hold the wisdom of generations. I am truly blessed to harbor such company.

"Together, we partake of the wilderness, relishing this reprieve from the real world. We are part of this natural existence, this god and I, and all else ceases to exist. The shuffle of the fallen leaves, the crackling branches, the wind in the boughs of the trees... The birds flitting overhead and deer bounding aside to let us pass... This is our existence now.

"An interminable span of time passes... An eon. And then, as the human world is all but erased from our minds, the trees thin and present us a stark reminder...

"A sandy desert cuts through the woods. Hills that by no rights should exist rise up around tracks laid by no animal foot. My god stops dead, as if shaken from a reverie. Ears pricked, eyes wide, nostrils flared... The human world overwhelms his senses once more. He is still grand, but we are both shaken, both unnerved.

"We step out into this desert, unsettled but ever curious. I notice power lines to our right, he sees houses far off to the left. At once my thoughts turn to the ever-pressing advance of 'civilization.' I sigh, place a hand on my god's shoulder, and we continue to explore further.

"What we find could not have been expected by the infant at my side, but even I am shocked.

"And somewhat amused.

"Two behemoths lie behind a hill, in a valley of their own construction. At first I take them as further proof that human habitation demands this space, but then I see... Rust. Broken metal. Scraps and mechanical parts littering the area. Spray paint. These monsters are dead, their bodies defiled by the local youth. Two metal monsters in a grave they dug themselves. The poetic justice makes me smile.

"My god and I do not stay long in this place. We are satisfied now, curiosity sated. His great form leads me back to our reverie, our dreamed escape to a world more our own."