Our Eminently Singular Friend

He is small, almost bedraggled in
appearance, but bold as none of his
peers are. They, like him, are black,
but sleek and uniformly plump, well
prepared in this seasonal-transition
period to face the rigours and food
shortages of the oncoming winter
months. It is his humble appearance,
coupled with his brash courage that
has garnered our deep admiration.

We think of him as the woodland
brigand in whom we have invested
high hopes for survival for yet another
year, despite his handicap. The fur over
his truncated stump of a tail has grown
almost measurably since this time last
year, but it remains as it was, sparse,
and tipped with distinguishing white.

We are prepared, in our daily
woodland walks, to be suddenly
accosted, as he appears seemingly
from nowhere. Clearly, he awaits our
quotidian habit. How he deduced it is
we responsible for leaving peanut caches
is quite beyond our ken, but he has
identified the source, and since the first
occasion when he confronted us directly
for his due, he has snared our hearts.

Undeterred, unfazed by the constant
close presence of our little dogs, he
approaches, even responds to his name,
or our coaxing voices, to stand expectantly
before us, vestigial tail twitching. Time and
again throughout the course of our
dalliance over miles of trails, he tracks us
and greets us with assured anticipation.
He has generously privileged us.