...From the time we first got our golden retriever Simba,
he's always been so loyal and brave.
And with those begging eyes he knows very well
how to get from me anything he wants...
One day when I picked out the four-foot long canvas at the art supply store,
I knew I wanted to paint him twice his real size.
And that's how he seemed to me every day: noble and big-hearted...
It was my first huge painting and one of the easiest to paint.
When he saw himself, he licked the corner of the canvas,
as if to show me where I should sign-
and that's when I decided the painting was finished...
- Akiane
Life Without a Leashyesterday's promise is today
when a storm arrives
is it the time
to nail a fence into our house
and strip a willow branch for a leash
only for you the fence is open
your laughing bark tugs my pride
in the cold twilight
you wait for me to sleep
and as we cuddle
we both sleepwalk
my bed is full of
you