As a pup I dreamed and wondered
What life would hold in store
For ME, I thought, there's something GREAT
Beyond that kennel door.
Out there are needy people
And I have much to give
Love, and wit, and gentleness
To help them learn to live.
I'd be someone's protector,
Keep little ones from harm,
Or guide an old man's steps,
Or help to run a farm.
I'd run and bark and jump and play
With friends along a sandy shore
I'd roll in meadows, thick and green
That lie beyond that kennel door.
I lay here waiting, longing,
As the days and years went by,
My owner kept me fed and brushed,
But inside let me die.
I do not think of greatness now,
I'm old and filled with pain.
My owner has some ribbons,
But I have lived in vain.
I cannot think what could have been,
My dreams are filled with hope no more.
Just floors and walls and a broken heart
For me behind this kennel door.

-M. KummerM