Of Dogs And Men

On my walk yesterday
I came across an old dog
Lying almost lifeless
By the side of the road

I stopped and walked over to him
To see if he was still alive
And as I stood there by his side
A wave of sadness came over me
And I thought to myself
If only someone did this for me
Once in a while

When he heard me, he rose
With a look of defeat in his eyes
That hinted at some broken thing
Somewhere deep within his soul

But I think he knew that I understood
Even as he tiredly walked away
I think he saw the same look in my eye
The desolation and the weariness
Only another broken soul can understand
Because the world
Has failed us both

I'm trying to hold on now
To dig my toes in and stand
Thinking of the weary old dog
Because the world was against him from the start
But somehow he managed to make it
To old age
A. SWANTALALA