The Delirium of Being

It truly is a wickedly 
icy winter day, wind
whipped to a frenzy of 
chill, underfoot treacherous
icy conditions, but the sky
bright with golden sun.
On the woodland trail
suddenly galumphing
toward us, the spectacle
of a pink-jacketed
Irish Setter pup, gleeful
with the freedom from
constraint, wallowing
joyfully in the snow,
then headed straight 
toward us, its long
puppy tail swooping
like a pendulum in greeting
leaping on our chests,
offering its free affection
to affable strangers and
frantic owner alike, this
young creature infused with
the delirium of discovery.