the stray

i love taking in strays

matted fur and feeling

unloveable in their ways 

when they bite i understand 

i let their teeth sink in 

my weak wrist and frail hands

we are cut from the same cloth 

i take them in 

groom them until their fur is soft

scratch behind their ears 

pour my love until i am empty 

eradicating their fears 

and when they leave 

all confident and clean 

i wander back to the pound 

just to feel needed.