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Author Unknown
Heaven
An old man and his dog were walking down a dirt road with fences on either side. They came to a gate in the fence and peered over at a very pleasant, grassy and wooded area - just what the man and his dog would love. However, there was a sign on the gate saying "No Trespassers" so they walked on.
Soon they came to a beautiful gate with a person in white robes standing next to it. "Welcome to Heaven" he said. The old man was very happy and started to enter with his dog following him. The Gatekeeper stopped him. "Dogs aren't allowed. I'm sorry but he cannot come in with you."
"What kind of Heaven won't allow dogs? If he can't come in, then I will stay out with him. He has been my faithful companion all his life and I cannot desert him now."
"Suit yourself, but I have to warn you. The Devil's on this road and he will try to sweet-talk you into his area. He'll promise you anything but your dog can't go in there either. If you won't leave your dog, you will spend Eternity on this road."
So the old man and his dog travelled on. They came to a run-down fence with a gap in it, no gate, just a hole. Another old man was inside. "Excuse me Sir, my dog and I are getting very tired. Do you mind if we come in and sit in the shade for a while?"
"Of course. There's some cool water under that tree over there. Make yourselves comfortable."
"Are you sure my dog can come in? The man down the road said dogs were not allowed in anywhere."
"Would you come in if you had to leave your dog outside?"
"No Sir. That's why I didn't go to Heaven. He said the dog couldn't come in. We will be spending Eternity on this road and a glass of cold water and some shade would be very good for the moment but, I won't come in if my friend here can't come too, and that's final."
The man smiled a big smile and said "Welcome to Heaven."
"You mean this is Heaven? Dogs ARE allowed? Why did that man down the road said they weren't?"
"That was the Devil and he gets all the people who are willing to give up their lifelong companion for a comfortable place to stay. They soon find out their mistake, but by then it's too late. The dogs come here, the fickle people stay there. God wouldn't allow dogs to be banned from Heaven. After all, He created them to be man's companions in life so why would he separate them in death?"
William Blake1757-1827
On Another's Sorrow
Can I see another's woe,
And not be in sorrow too?
Can I see another's grief,
And not seek for kind relief?
Can I see a falling tear,
And not feel my sorrow's share?
Can a father see his child Weep,
Nor be with sorrow fill'd?
Can a mother sit and hear
An infant groan, an infant fear?
No, no! never can it be!
Never, never can it be!
And can He who smiles on all
Hear the wren with sorrows small,
Hear the small bird's grief & care,
Hear the woes that infants bear,
And not sit beside the nest,
Pouring pity in their breast;
And not sit the cradle near,
Weeping tear on infant's tear;
And not sit both night & day,
Wiping all our tears away?
O! no never can it be!
Never, never can it be!
He doth give his joy to all;
He becomes an infant small;
He becomes a man of woe;
He doth feel the sorrow too.
Think not thou canst sigh a sigh
And thy Maker is not by;
Think not thou canst weep a tear
And thy Maker is not near.
O! he gives to us his joy
That our grief he may destroy;
Till our grief is fled & gone
He doth sit by us and moan.
William Blake1757-1827
A Poison Tree
I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I water'd it in fears,
Night & Morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright;
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,
And into my garden stole
When the night had veil'd the pole;
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretch'd beneath the tree.
William Blake1757-1827
Auguries of Innocence
To see a world in a grain of sand
And a Heaven in a wild flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.
A Robin Red breast in a cage
Puts all Heaven in a rage.
A dove house fill'd with doves & pigeons
Shudders hell thro' all its regions.
A dog starv'd at his master's gate
predicts the ruin of the State.
A Horse misus'd upon the road
Calls to Heaven for human blood.
Each outcry of the hunted hare
A fibre from the brain does tear.
A Skylark wounded in the wing,
A Cherubim does cease to sing.
The game cock clip'd & armed for fight
Does the rising sun affright.
Every Wolf's & Lion's howl
Raises from hell a human soul.
The wild deer, wand'ring here & there,
Keeps the human soul from care.
The lamb misus'd breeds public strife
And yet forgives the butcher's knife.
The bat that flits at close of eve
Has left the brain that won't believe.
The owl that calls upon the night
Speaks the unbeliever's fright.
He who shall hurt the little wren
Shall never be belov'd by men.
He who the ox to wrath has mov'd
Shall never be by woman lov'd.
The wanton boy that kills the fly
Shall feel the spider's enmity.
He who torments the chafer's sprite
Weaves a bower in endless night.
The Caterpillar on the leaf
Repeats to thee thy mother's grief.
Kill not the moth nor butterfly,
For the Last Judgment draweth night
Author Unknown
The Prayer
Death is nothing at all,
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I, and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name,
Speak to me in the easy way which we always used.
Put no difference into your tone;
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without an effort, without trace of a shadow in it.
Life means all that it ever meant;
It is the same as it ever was;
There is absolute unbroken continuity.
What is this death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval.
Somewhere very near, just around the corner.
All is well.
See more images on my other web sites:-
Pet portraits and Greeting Cards of your pets, dogs, cats animals, or landscapes make very special gifts and Cards.
All I need from you is a CLEAR photo of your pet dog, cat, or any other pet, person or place, to create a unique and special gift.
If you do not have any CLEAR, close up photos of your pet, take some NOW
Isabel Clark BA (Honours) Fine Art
24 Goodman Way, Tile Hill Village, COVENTRY CV4 9UF England
Telephone: UK 024 76462885
I love my pet portrait work, but one of the saddest aspects is where an old pet has died and the owner has no clear photo to remember their friend by, or, indeed, to create a pet portrait memorial to their lost one. So take those pictures now, even if you do not yet decide on a painting of your pet.
All images on this website are the copyright of the Artist - Isabel Clark
BA (Honours) Fine Art - Pet Portraits - Isabel Clark Paintings - All Rights Reserved