Reader's Poem
- By Viki Graham

At first I thought this place was strange,
The loud noises & new smell.
Everything here was new to me,
The confusion was clear to tell.
So much change is difficult,
For any dog to face.
I’d spent so long in solitude,
I didn’t want you in my space.
I know you thought I hated you,
I couldn’t look you in the eye.
But I really wasn’t sure back then,
If we’d still have to say goodbye.
See, my doggy friends all left me,
One by one they moved right on.
And my intuition tells me,
Not many truly won.
I fear they suffered heartache,
I fear they suffered pain.
They’ll never have the life I have,
They’ll never be remembered by name.
You persisted in your care for me,
You fed me up & gave me toys.

I realised what a sofa was,
And all of life’s new joys.
Now we run & play throughout the day,
And cuddle throughout the night.
Whilst you tell anyone who’ll listen,
Of my long lost doggy friend’s plight.
I know that my fate changed that day,
The day you brought me home.
I can see it now, the love you give,
I know I’ll never be alone.
I never want to fear again,
I never want to part.
Always know, I love you, Mum,
With every beat of my rescued heart.