Ok. This is an ode to my old dog, Kuma, who we had to put down. my brother is writing one too and we are giving them to my dad for fathers day. anyways here goes.
He was a pound dog, by all means a mutt and mongrel; a stray and a varmit. Sweet Jesus he was huge! Well, actually he wasn't, but you got the feeling that when he was no longer a pup he was going to be inexplicably large. He had all the natural characteristics of a wolf; there were even some rumours uttered from the dog world that he was part wolf. Jack London would have been proud, because I daresay he was White Fang incarnate.
Oh the difficult task of naming this leviathan. No, 'Jack' or 'Sandy' would do. Not even your typical tough dog names like 'Bruiser' or 'Spike' would suffice. It would have been utterly trite to mew a creature like this with something as generic as a dog name. Our Japanese exchange student, dutifully watching this whole naming process must have sensed the importance of the situation. Only one Japanese word could properly describe such an animal; in both girth and character. She whispered "Kuma..." He had been crowned...
Bear...
As our family aged, so did Kuma. We soon discovered that there was a sheer depth and personality to this dog. No camaraderie, no bullshit. This dog was the archetype to every badass character ever played in any movie or book. He may not have been the first chronologically, but he most certainly was the fucking best.
He was the type who would challenge the most tolerable authority merely on principal. Surely you would assume his 'fuck-you-I-wont" attitude would get him into some predictable predicaments, but more often than not his classic puppy-dog stare would melt you into forgiveness.
Please do not misconstrue me; this dog was no asshole. His nack for sensing your mood, whether it be playful or lugubrious, was unmatched. One simple lick to your hand could reanimate you immediately. He had a soft side which, just like his wild side, was beautiful and thorough.
Kuma's cunning was unmatched by anyone in the animal world, and probably surpassed most of us humans. His untamable appetite...Well....Couldn't be fucking tamed. I remember (as a very young man) making myself a tremendous bagel sandwich. I spent what seemed like hours on this damn thing, waiting for the supreme moment when I could finally eat it. I turned my back on the sandwich for literally five seconds......five seconds.... my fucking sandwich was gone! Who in the name of holy Jesus is responsible for this lunacy, I thought. My abnormally large ears focused in on the sound of ungroomed claws on unfurnished hardwood floors. My eyes caught his bulbous ass running out the kitchen, and I gave hot pursuit. He multitasked; chewing and running and laughing and mocking, all at the same time! My sandwich was gone, I knew it as much as he tasted it. I cannot describe the undeniable grin on that wonderful fuckers face.
After a bunch of years, This dogs primal clock was ticking. He was deteriorating so rapidly that the grim decison was made by his family that he must be killed and packed into a bag. Kuma knew of his impending doom, so it seems he made a concious decison himself; He knew his memory would not be properly recognized in the mental and spiritual facets...no...he must also inflict terrible physical scars on his families bodies. This way we can never deny, in any way, his impact on our lives.
I love you, I miss you, I will never forget you......
Okay, Kieran
