Lucy
This morning I woke to trees out my window that made me feel like I was in a Willa Cather novel, which is strange only in that I have never actually read a Willa Cather novel. Lucy was sleeping next to me, and after a couple minutes arms came to life, eyes opened. She saw me and crawled up onto my chest, where she lay--heart to heart--for some time. Her rear end would occasionally raise in a peak, then roll to one side or the other. I felt her heart beat and remembered our first meeting, how I've loved her from the start. Her birth seems much further back in time than a year, like she's always been part of my soul, somehow. She holds my affection and my devotion with the same tight grip that wraps around my finger as she takes timid steps. Take your time, I tell her. I'll go with you as long you want me to.
