In What We Trust (Final)

[Tiger the Lion]

In What We Trust

Good ole Buck was a big bear
of a dog, an all-black shepherd
with a small white tie on his chest.
One early autumn evening we sat
perched on the top steps of the porch
at my brother’s place, eavesdropping

on the urgent chirping of the last crickets.
A cool breeze stirred up the earthiness
of freshly fallen leaves. Old oaks stretched
moonlit limbs into a clearing at the edge
of shadow filled woods. Buck focused his gaze
on something that I couldn’t quite see.

His gentle orange eyes reflected
the rising moon with an awareness
for which he had no description.  Me?
I imagined bare dogwood branches as arms
cradling that crescent moon; saw mighty Jupiter
wooing the lonely Autumn Star.

As I pondered the infinite, Buck rested
his furry head upon my shoulder
as if to console me.  How did he seem
to understand what I was thinking?
Though I’d been taught that we were given
dominion over animals, I had to reconsider.

I asked out loud, “if I’m really created
in Your image, then what about Buck?
In whose image was he created?"
How is it that this simple animal
seems so finely attuned to something
that I have only half-hearted faith in?

You may think I’m foolish; or confused,
yet I’m certain of that autumn evening
on the porch; thought of it often
since we buried ole Buck by the brambles
near the clearing in my brother’s back yard
nearly 40 years ago.

I took this from my post in MILD, and after incorporating feedback from that forum, I'm posting it here for final critical review.

Perfectly fine. Might be helpful to link to the original below your p.s. - Also wouldn't hurt to add a link to this thread somewhere on the original. If you would like the Mild thread closed to further comment, let me know.