We saw you and you saw us.
You sat in a stone cold cage –
Shaking and trembling; with big, brown eyes
Gazing at us giants who ogled at you
Like you were an extinct creature or a new species.
Everyone else was mewling and cooing, except you –
You just sat and stared, waiting to be freed
From your prison where you lived 24/7.
We asked to play with you, and was escorted
Into a tiny closet space where you were plopped in.
You greeted us with a wag of your tail
And we rubbed your stomach then brought you back –
To that stone cold cage where you slept.
Two weeks later we come back and you’re still there –
Sitting in your prison, slightly bigger.
We play with you again and decide.
We want you as our pet; as our dog;
As our lovable, cuddly puppy.
So we take you away from that cruel place.
And now you’re ours.

Excellent poem and a runner-up. Well done! RS