In the corner of a curved ally sat a man with weathered hands and a guarded frame.
Beside him, a black dog rose as I neared, echoing the man’s hungry smile
Orange obdurate eyes tracked me footstep by footstep.
My pulse quickened and my feet surged me forward
Eyes front, I did not stop to look back  
Not because I believed all dogs to be inherently vicious
But because I knew that dogs
-like men-
could be made into monsters.
. ~ .
When I ask myself if it’s worth it to slow and take the chance
The answer is always no.