As Messed Up as Me

I remember the first time you let me hold your paw

         To my best friend:

         I found you while hardly clean
from the white powder
that slowly ruined my life.

         You lived around the corner
with a man who abused you
while you simply tried to survive.

         But when I saw you I knew
that I needed you to be safe,
unaware of the responsibilities.

         I welcomed you into my home;
you were nervous for a while.
         Cautiously, you relearned
how to love a human again.

         I remember the first time
you let me hold your paw;
the first time you cried
after I left you alone.

         I remember the only time
you almost killed another
just to protect me.

         I remember the first time
you fell under the weather,
and how scared I was
not knowing if my friend
was going to be okay.

         I remember when I relapsed,
and the only one who stayed
was you, at my side,
staring at me as I rolled
a one dollar bill into a tube
and breathed in something
that made Daddy act funny.

         I remember you were abused
when I see the scars
around your neck, your legs;
the bite marks on your ears;
the way you get startled
when I move too quickly.

         I remember being scared
that I couldn't handle
taking care of an animal
as messed up as me.

         I've watched you change
and turn into a loving dog.
         I've watched you protect,
and I know that you
have a darker side
to those big, brown eyes.

         You watched me get braver
and fend for both of us.
         You watched me grow
and learn to love life again.

         You saved me from myself
and supported me
through everything.

         And now, as I watch
this ninety pound ball of fur,
grumbling with contentedness
into the pillow next to mine,
I can't help but think
of what life would be like
if you hadn't rescued me.




63 lines
Freeform
Entry for "The Newbie Poetry Award" 
Prompt: Friendship