A Dog in a Cage

By Suveeksha Viswanathan

Starry, starry night!
In those glassy beady eyes,
Cold with treason.

The confinement unkempt,
Him - left succourless.
All but in a while,
His owner would come by.
To a startling halt which came,
One day.

Kneeling down,
Did I whisper.
His jittering form.
“Come to me little one
And get dressed
In sweet caresses”.

“Come with me to my garden,
The musky smell,
The vast swathe of foliage,
To enlighten your senses”.

“Come with me and you shall see,
Flowers as tender as you,
Marked with impermanence.
Then unleash your primeval state,
Of curiosity,
To smell them, to nudge them,
And then to go about your way
 Nonchalant.
Or lounge in my garden,
As you may please”.

“Hop onto my car,
At night,
And watch 
The glistening, hoyden moon,
Desperate to befriend you,
Following you everywhere”.

“For you are my dear precious”.

“So come to me,
And forsake your fear”.

“I have tried,
With all my might,
Lauding you with treats”.

A lowly growl did I hear,
Tail sunk low,
Him deriding me.
All efforts in vain.

Few weeks later,
In a tumultuous mayhem,
Houses, lawns flooded.

Kicking relentlessly,
Moaning and barking.
Freedom at heaven’s door,
Death as a breeze threatening
To whisk him away.

What then followed- a pure miracle.
The imbued desperation,
Giving birth to submission.
Freeing him thereby.

Leaping into my arms,
A rare streak of gratefulness 
Besmearing his face.
To which a tweaking smile
I wore.
 
“Come with me’ I whisper
“And you will see,
Wondrous things you 
Ought to see”.

Suveeksha Viswanathan  is passionate about writing poems, short stories etc.

Her previous works were published in magazines like Literary Yard, Down in the Dirt , and Academy of the Heart and Mind