Fear of Feathers

I’ve had her since she was a puppy. Now, at

Three years old, l see my dog differently. From

Two and a half-pounds grown to the whopping

Weight of eight. She is a small breed and will

Not grow any larger. As a pup she feared most

Everything which was new to her. There was an

Entire world of things out there which needed

To be barked at and sniffed. The world was in-

Deed a frightful place which needed to be iden-

Tified and reckoned with. I must admit, that for

Me in my youth, fear of the unknown took some

Time to grapple with as well. Having lived seventy

Years, however, I’d say that today there are far

Fewer things which rattle my security. I do my

Best to avoid guns, raging fires, nuclear explosions,

Ravenous carnivores and other such harmful and

Ominously destructive creatures, appliances and

Situations. And I must say, knowing the proximity

Of death at my advanced age, should it overtake

Me in a most humane and gentle way, I am neither

Phased nor unsettled by life’s inevitable play. To-

Day, out in the backyard, I saw my curious yet

Hesitant pooch pull back from a feather blowing

In the grass. Having never seen such an anomaly

In her lifetime before, she took the cautious ap-

Proach, tentatively sniffing then shying away.

What does a dog know about blowing feathers

Anyway? I happen to know something about

Birds and harmless detached feathers, even though

They are not things one sees with familiarity every

Day. Now, should feathers be attached to an arrow

In flight aimed at me personally, I’d say, that would

Certainly be a fearsome prospect indeed. And then

The perplexing thought arises, how in hell do you

Explain to a dog the difference between the two?

Chris Hanch 6-20-17