Bernie

Laying peacefully on the bed

He relaxes and,

Like liquid,

Takes the shape of his surroundings

In temporary torpor,

As time cascades around him.

One year old now

Far younger than I

But aging faster.

Our life circuits are different

His accelerating

Then decelerating

Far quicker than mine.

The distinctions are real

Yet fully inexplicable

I’m relatively older as he is young,

Soaked with experience

As he is clean of it,

Yet some day he’ll be old

And I relatively younger.

The ellipses and orbits of our existences

Crossing briefly

Then separating again.

The full depth and meaning of his existence though,

Will still be as inscrutable

As his care and love are indelible.

I imagine it will seem a beautiful and

Sacred mystery

To walk, feed, pet, play fetch, and tease him

For a lifetime,

And still not understand him.