Faithful Dog of My Soul

“You are greater than the Bible

And the Conference of the Birds

And the Upanishads

All put together

You are more severe

Than the Scriptures

And Hammurabi’s Code

More dangerous than Luther’s paper

Nailed to the Cathedral door

You are sweeter

Than the Song of Songs

Mightier by far

Than the Epic of Gilgamesh

And braver

Than the Sagas of Iceland

I bow my head in gratitude

To the ones who give their lives

To keep the secret

The daily secret

Under lock and key

Dear Diary

I mean no disrespect

But you are more sublime

Than any Sacred Text

Sometimes just a list

Of my events

Is holier than the Bill of Rights

And more intense.”

– Leonard Cohen, Dear Diary, in Book of Longing

__________

“I am writing all of this in my room and I must stop as supper is waiting for me at the rooming house, Las Delicias. Farewell for now, little diary, faithful dog of my soul. Don’t howl—your master is leaving, it is true, but he will return.”

– Witold Gombrowicz, Diary

__________

I’m sure we all have an internal monologue yapping through a large part of the day.

Often this yapping grows serious and admonishing.

Some thoughts left within the mind grow insistent, clawing at the door to get out.

Writing engages directly with my yapping self.

Dogs need walking otherwise they start chewing on the furniture.

Minds need walking otherwise they start devouring a person from the inside.

I show love and respect for myself by writing daily, creating my own sacred text.

I am piecing together the world as I see it.

But writing guides me only as far as the next sentence.

To find out how I must live, the writing must continue.

I’ve enjoyed my daily excursion, but cannot help starting to plan tomorrow’s trip across the page.