joey k poetry

Loved by you
The way you moved my collar
to scratch at the often missed
part of my neck, where the fur
was ever so slightly indented by
a lifetime of loyalty,
made me feel as though
I was loved in ways
I would never understand.
I knew what obedience was.
I knew loyalty. I knew our love.
What I did not know
was the humanity
at the end of it all.
Thinking like a human felt
impossible. Not at all possible.
For my whole life
it didn’t bother me.
Until someone left the gate open
and freedom engulfed me in all its
paradoxes and unfairness and endless
waves of choices.
It was beautiful.
I turned to see you,
you were running, so I ran, too.
You chased me and chased me,
it was as if we’d never tire.
Then my paws touched pavement.
Something hit me hard,
harder than I’ve ever been hit.
Everything began to fade, but
I waited for you. You hugged me tight.
Your tears were the last thing I saw.
But it was okay, because I learned that
the infinite beauty of freedom
was minuscule
in comparison
to being loved by you.