There was a time that I remember,
That was quite a long time ago.
It was a foggy day,
Back in the fall.
I was in the park at the time,
Walking with my family on a Sunday.
We always see a lot of people there,
Lots of people.
We see a lotta’ dogs too,
Many, many dogs.
But on that Sunday,
Something was different.
There was something foggier in the park,
Than the park itself.
It was as if someone had asked the clouds,
If they could stay down closer to the earth for eternity.
If was different because of who we met,
That changed my view on our world.
When we got to the bridge in the little downtown park,
Someone else was already there.
Almost waiting for us,
To show us true terror.
As we came closer,
I could see them more clearly.
I could see that they were smoking,
And they had tattoos all over.
I could hear they were cursing,
Saying the nastiest things I’ve ever heard.
I could smell them too,
They reeked of beer and liquor.
But worst of all,
They had a puppy with them.
I sighed as he pounced up and down,
Trying to greet us.
I sighed because he whimpered,
As soon as the girl tugged too hard on his leash.
I bent down to pet the squirmy fella,
And his owner looked away.
She pulled hard on his leash,
Signalling that she didn’t want me near him.
He cried out,
And I wanted to.
The harder he tugged,
The harder she yanked.
He eventually gave in,
Rest his tiny head on his paws.
The owners dove back into their disgusting habits,
And I could tell the little guy was still looking at me as I left.
I turned my head for one more glance,
And he decided that was the perfect time to run.
He did,
Well, at least, he tried.
The woman holding the dog was surprised by his attempt,
So surprised that she dropped her cigarette on his silky fur.
It singed his coat,
And again he yelped.
But this one was different,
It brought tears to my eyes.
Again I heard the cursing,
And she hit him as hard as she could.
He fell down,
His tiny legs to shocked to stand.
“Let’s go, Honey,”
I heard my mom say from behind me.
Wiping away the tears that strayed from my eyes,
I nodded and prayed for that dog on the bridge.
As we got in the car, I took one more glance,
Hoping they’d give the pup one more chance.
It was too late,
They had left the park.
And so had my hopes and my dreams from my mind,
That one day, love is what that dog would find.