The_Stray_Dog (1)

 

The dog you rescued

with a scar on her brow

 wags her tail

and looks up at you,

dark eyes shining

mouth curved in a little smile.

 

But that lonely road

where you found her limping

stays branded on her heart.

 

In a tough moment,

as she huddles in the corner

wrapped in fear,

you scratch her ears

and tell her she’s safe.

 

She’s remembering some hostile kick

or maybe the bump from a car

that broke her hip,

which never fully healed.

 

The only way to help her

is to comfort her

as those old images play out,

so she can trust this moment,

and live fearlessly.

 

And so in every possible way

you show her those days are past.

She lives in a new place now:

a home with a cushion to sleep on,

(or really the bed and couch)

healthy food at mealtime

and beef bones from the butcher.

 

In the night

she snuggles against your body

her paws jiggling

as she chases butterflies

through a wildflower meadow,

a glimpse of the freedom

she truly is.

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Photo: HabibullahQureshi (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]