From A Letter: About Snow

for Chana Bloch I am at a retreat house, and the nun who runs the house told me to look at my face in the mirror. I did, but the only thing I keep seeing is the face of Snow, the huge Pyrenees sheep dog. He's so frightened, they can't let him off his leash! His human eyes, long-suffering, like a saint who's forgotten how to smile. I hear the breed is naturally shy, and this one was abused by his previous owner. No wonder he backs away! But to see a creature so large―120 pounds―so timid. Once, they say, scared by a deer, he broke his leash and ran. A mile away a woman stopped with her pickup and he jumped right in! Who knows why the frightened make decisions! Today I jogged with him, his thick rangy self leading the way. Now we're sitting in the shade by the community house while I write this letter. —from Tender 1997