A Dog’s Guide to Life

[A Stray's Journey]

The moon shines on the familiar walls of my home,

The scent of rice fills the air, once my peaceful haven.

A sack falls from nowhere, tearing the quiet night apart,

A cage locks me in, carrying me toward an unknown land.

The dog dealer kicks me, crushing my hope of survival,

I break free of the rope and lick my wounds alone in a dark alley.

I will leave one day, for the pain of freedom as a stray

Is better than the silent despair of a cage where I'm destined for slaughter.

I have crossed bustling markets and barren fields,

Licked the morning dew and chewed on the setting sun.

I've followed the lively footsteps of children coming home from school,

And dodged the merciless rule of speeding wheels.

By human doorways, a bowl of water reflects the setting sun,

Their eyes spill over with warmth and pity.

But the walls divide two worlds, inside and out,

One is a cage, the other the scent of a life adrift.

On winter nights, I curl beneath a bridge, frozen stiff,

The howling north wind recalls the bone-deep chill inside the sack.

I've dreamed of fields and golden piles of grain,

But freedom is the pain of wandering, a star shining over the wilderness.

One day, I will lie down in some quiet place,

Cold frost will cover my fur, and moonlight will be my bed.

My eyes, still open, will reflect the stars that have not gone out,

They once shone on a hand that offered alms, and on the wounds those people brought.

I do not know if the human world is warm sunshine or freezing frost...