lenten journal: walking my blind dog

We are two weeks into Lent and I am finally getting to my Lenten Journal, my spiritual practice for the season. If you follow my newsletter, you know part of the reason is our little Lizzy! had to have her eyes removed to alleviate the pain caused by the glaucoma that blinded her. We are all recovering from that, or trying to. Here is part of how it feels.

walking my blind dog

we are three days post-surgery
two lines of stitches where
her eyes used to be
a soft foam circle that
looks like a lifebuoy
saves her from scratching
none of us knows
what we are doing

we take her to the yard
beyond our fence
attach the leash so
we can lead her
she sniffs and steps
as I think about the
article sent by a friend
about walking a blind dog

and it sounds like a blues song
I mean the real blues
grief-filled guitar licks
a bass line from the bottom
of life and a back beat
that keeps the rhythm
of a broken heart
something we can all sing

walking my blind dog
walking my blind dog
walking my blind dog home

Peace,
Milton