Jindo (dis)appears
... walking on the edge trails of Bukhansan Park on a humid, late Sunday evening ... have taken to walking before sleep to cope with the heat ... it is 10 pm ... the path quiet, empty & silent yet lighted enough (not sure am actually allowed in the park but there is no locked gate, no English signage so will plead ignorance) ... enjoy feeling the way by foot loving the steep rocky climb ... reminded of my adventures on Keats island many years ago ...
... the sound of a small creek on the left with quite a drop & the thick forest rising on the right ... the path wide & winding ... tranquil ... ... thinking in Canada might be concerned about bears, coyote and such ... as if conjured to dispel my notions a huge growl rustles the bush beside me ... a large white dog appears ... then another ... another ... three beautiful white dogs one medium large followed by two others slightly smaller faced me ...
... startled frozen in my tracks, to disguise my anxiety calmly pronounced, "ok ... just looking I'm leaving now" ... slowly back away and after a good fifteen steps turned to walk determinedly down the trail ... they do not follow ... relieved find an exit about thirty minutes later and am on the street heading back home ... the encounter felt dreamlike ... they had growled however beyond that were soundless and phantasmagorical creatures ...
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| Drawing from The Way of Coyote Shared Journeys in the Urban Wilds - Gavin Van Horn |
... shops were closing ... feeling disoriented and the need to be at home i quickened my pace ... only a few people were about ... most entering their vehicles ... suddenly the three white dogs appeared ... first on the sidewalk then continued down the middle of the street ... traffic stops ... in fact, all of us stop and watch hesitantly awestruck ... the dogs sniff around ignoring all humans moving with keen, alert strides following each other in a regimented line largest to smallest ... without a trace they disappear almost into thin air ...
... stray dogs i wonder ... spectral phantom hounds ... they looked so healthy, not ferocious nor threatening ... they simply owned this territory, that's all ... they were familiar with the area and were on some sort of mission ... they had a purpose which seemed more than i possessed at the moment ...
... three white dogs the colour of wolves in winter ... researching discovered: "The Korean Jindo is the icon of Korean dogs. The Jindo is a medium-sized, Spitz-type dog. Through an ordinance, the Korean government has made this dog their 53rd national treasure ... Experts believe Jindos are descendants of the Mongolian landrace, the Bankher dog" (Korean Dog Breeds) ...
... now the whole episode seemed to make sense ... don't believe having ever written that my first sojourn to Korea fulfilled an intense dream telling me i belonged in Korea being born in Mongolia ... the whole notion was absurd & it was difficult to share without being somewhat facetious ...
... my visits to Korea have culminated now in an attempt to find residence on this land ... it was my honour to be a visitor on Canadian soil for the past 68 years ... my time has come to leave or is it return ... thank you for accepting me as a guest land of treaties and unseeded territories ... the wandering dogs of this night seemed to verify i must find my purpose for being on this peninsula ... connection ...
::Note:: ... nothing to note ... only there has to be a story ... a hidden gem here somewhere ... it is like the drawing ... i'm missing the shadow dogs ... somehow leaving one place and being in another a large shadow is cast ... "Once in the old days when tigers smoked ... "
