so I was sitting at a table by the window
in one of those old diners
that don't seem to have a name;
they just say 'DINER' in big neon letters
on the front of the building.

outside on the sidewalk
the local animal shelter
was holding an event,
trying to adopt out some of their furry residents.

I watched as a woman and her young daughter stopped
and asked to see a scruffy little dog
that was sitting in a cage that was labeled:
'Five years old'
and
'mixed breed terrier'.

the attendant let him out
and he immediately sprang into the girl's lap,
wagging frantically
glowing with happiness
and causing the little girl to do the same.

the girl's mother smiled as she watched
and spoke to the attendant
and I found myself becoming tense:

please, I thought,
please take him home with you -
look how happy he is.
he'd be a great dog.
see how happy he makes your little girl.

please, please take him home
because it's late in the day
and if he goes back into that cage
he'll be going back to the pound,
unwanted
alone
and hopeless.

but of course
it wasn't to be;
the girl and her mother
went on their way
and the scruffy little guy
returned to his cage
to watch the attendant pack up his sad menagerie

and I found myself wanting to cry,
and chided myself
for becoming so involved in this tiny drama.

I took my scruffy, middle-aged, mixed-breed self back home, then,
back to my little cage.

10/14/2009

Posted on 10/14/2009
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