The Daily Amble

The walk, not as brisk
as it should be on a
windy, icy afternoon
was pleasant enough,
encouraging an elderly
dog, blind and deaf, to
obligingly walk alongside
its human companion,
guiding it on an urban
forested trail where
furry wildlife the small
black dog, beloved of its
human companion, once
leaped into joyful chase
at their cheeky antics.
The dog slowly, uncertainly
perambulates, smells the
familiarity of the ambiance,
becomes confused at its
sensory vacuum and
hesitates repeatedly, each
time responding to a tug
on her halter to resume the
slow gait. Walk done for
the day, the man's coat is
shed, then the dog's, both
enveloped in a fog of
warm, fading memory.