{"id":13007,"date":"2026-05-13T12:50:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T12:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/?p=13007"},"modified":"2026-05-13T17:28:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T17:28:36","slug":"canis-familiaris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/13\/canis-familiaris\/","title":{"rendered":"CANIS FAMILIARIS"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Photo by Helen Cramer on Unsplash<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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CANIS FAMILIARIS<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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By Katherine Spadaro<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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My little dog walks with me in the twilight\u2014
percussion of paws affirming again
that contract his people made so long ago:
his vigilant loyalty, my shelter and food.
He knows it by heart, each yod and each tittle,
keeps it entirely, quite sure it is good.<\/p>

I think back to Adam\u2014his joy in discovering
a world, its creatures all looking towards him:
\u2018Describe us, define us! Tell us what we are!\u2019
Linnaeus\u2019 father, in Edenese breathing:
\u2018Canis familiaris! Follower faithful,
companion in difficulty.\u2019 (But what is difficulty?)<\/p>

He named on, with knowledge\u2014 \u2018From-man-taken: Woman!\u2019\u2014
all life pulsing purity, simple and perfect.
Then, after the fall, lamenting his action:
\u2018blunder incredible, breach irreversible\u2019,
in agonized rhythm with steps to the exit\u2014
ashen taxonomies, doubling regret.<\/p>

They injured each other with recrimination
(so much skill at naming!) night after night,
heard by the dog in the arc of the light.
Sometimes, quite early though,
maybe hope nudged itself,
snuffling, deep into Adam\u2019s awakening<\/p>

of a dawn, inexpressible.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Katherine Spadaro<\/strong> was born in Scotland but has lived mostly in Australia, and more recently in Italy. She is interested in the impact and symbolism of everyday human experience and tries to convey a sense of its spiritual and subversive significance in her poetry. Her poems have been published in Quadrant<\/em>, Blue Unicorn<\/em>, Amethyst<\/em>, and the New Verse Review<\/em>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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