Voice Poem: Animal Abuse

Animal Abuse

“You can run, but you can’t hide!”

The screams pierce my innocent ears,

As I bask in the darkness;

Cold, hungry and alone.

My stomach growls like a ferocious beast.

The wind blows harder and harder, screeching like a starving wolf.

Today master had a bad day,

Yesterday was worse,

And the day before that was even worse.

When master is sad, mad or unhappy in anyway, I am to blame.

I am told to “SIT!”, “STAY!” and “BE QUIET!”

But I have always been sitting,

Never once have I dared gotten up,

And I am too hungry to speak.

Of course I whimpered after three days of no food and water,

What was I to do?

But when the fourth day came and master was very unhappy,

I learned that food and water was a privilege not a right.

My leg is crawling with maggots,

I don’t blame them, they need to eat somehow.

When master had a knife I was the first one to get hit.

The wound hasn’t healed and in fact has gotten worse,

I can barely walk on that leg; at least I have 3 to spare.

I am told I am “BAD!”, “USELESS!” and “DUMB!”

But what did I do wrong?

I tried to clean up the mess I made on the kitchen floor,

I tried to keep you warm that one cold winter,

I tried to warn you when the bad man came to our house.

But you told me to “SHUT UP!” and then kicked me to the sad rusty corner of what I'm supposed to call home,

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.

I just want to help you.

But no matter what I do,

It will never be good enough for you.

Source:

"Fight Animal Cruelty." ASPCA. Web. 26 Mar. 2012.

        <http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/>.