I had just left the library
and was 20 minutes early for the bus
I decided to pull a Sobe
and a roast beef sandwich
out of my back pack
it was the first of May
but it was cold as hell
my fingers were numb
I would take a bite of the sandwich
take a drink of the Sobe
then set them down
and warm up my fingers
this guy came walking by
with a skinny little black dog
the dog looked like it was starving
and looked like it had been beaten
she came right up to me to say hello
I bit off a piece of the sandwich
and offered it to the dog
she gobbled it up happily
but the guy was ******
"you can't be feeding my dog" he said
I told him that somebody needed to feed the dog
because he obviously wasn't
"the dog should be taken away
and you should be jailed for neglect and abuse"
he got right up in my face
and started spitting obscenities
I got right back in his face
held out my chin and pointed to it
"go ahead, take it out on me
and leave the dog alone tonight"
he uttered a few more choice words
and backed off
he walked away jerking at the poor dog
as I watched him walk away
I noticed a sign posted on a pole
I had to walk into the steet to see it
It said, MISSING DOG
and there in the photo
was I think the same dog I had just met
it said her name was Bella
and she was a Chow Chow
she was probably 20 pounds heavier
and looked happier in the photo
she had been missing since March 22nd
it also said she was sick and needed medication
I didn't know what to think
was it the same dog?
was the man she was with neglecting her?
or was it the previous owners?
I decided to call the number and left a message
saying where i saw her
and what direction she was headed
and I left a description of the man
suddenly I didn't notice that my fingers were frozen
I don't know where Bella is tonight
but I hope she has a warm bed
a decent meal
her medication
and a loving companion