dang me. i thought about that marm with the cute sad little brown dog by her mincing feet. further on the walk after other more lightsome encounters i wished some would observe more and they would likely open more to their dog, their environment, their selves. they might even find a hidden self, one longing to come out and play. i'd seen her face before, sealed and automatic, judging by the face, resenting the outrageous freedom she was deprived of by proper behavior, by timidity and lack of passion, avoiding everything her dog needs, perfunctory, avoiding the complex interaction of life. and i'm glad i said hi to her and smiled, knowing it would give her the opening she couldn't allow herself before, the opportunity to be a piddling snit and hear her voice resound in the open air. and giving myself the release of her tension, though it come again next time, and the recognition that my anger was allowed to mellow into sorrow, for each of us wishing to negotiate this strange world with care and love and oh so tenuous freedom.