by Carolyn Hunter
I saw a stray dog today.
Walked shyly up to me.
coat mangled
body skinny as a seed
Of course, I took him in
Gave him a bath
he stretched his paws on top of the shelf
Skinny wet dog smell
Something about a stray makes me yearn
to love more
makes me want to learn
why he's shivering at my door
There are doors all around
for him to tread over
this shaky ground
isn't so good for rover
And his eyes are leaky
and his back is hunched
and he coughs b/c the rope
was tied too tightly to his neck
My eyes are often leaky
as I hunch my back like Fetus
the invisible rope that others don't see
ties my neck to misery
So maybe it's I who am the stray
And this chum is a gift
allowing me another day
soothing this unending rift
