He vacillates between optimism 
     and cynicism like his Chocolate 
          Lab between his mistress’ slice 

          of pizza and his master’s. He 
     doesn’t equate optimism with 
hope. Optimism is based on 

seeing things that encourage. 
     Hope is sometimes blind with 
          an innate assurance that there 

          is something at work in it all 
     for the good, which blossoms 
into faith. Because there isn’t 

much out there about which to 
     be optimistic, he slips easily into 
          cynicism like his dog after the 

          pizza. He has yet to slip into 
     despair which is where you 
go when hope is hopeless 

and faith is folly. He breathes 
     a sigh of relief, “Kyrie, aye, 
          aye, aye.”