a little melancholy, a little joy. repeat. 

i thought mister was a little melancholy this morning, and limped. he stopped under the train tracks and i worried. then i saw mary louise coming and knew if he was limped still he was waiting for her. i said let's go with them and when we get home i'll rub your legs with hemp salve. so i did, and he made a face. so i put the ugly doll on his head, and when i said ok, he flipped the doll up and caught it. i was too slow for that. 

also i was thinking about what julia said about slowing down and time, time being malleable, and i thought about joy and melancholy, and pain, and how these are malleable and intertwined. when i turn my joy on with mister, he eats it and perks up. his pain recedes, his joints limber, his dark eyes light.