I have only seen my father cry twice

But the first time I saw him spill crocodile tears

Into the Nile river of grief was four years ago.

Four years ago he lost one of his best friends

And even though the bible says dogs don’t have souls

I still believe all dogs go to heaven.

All of them, even those Chinese crested hairless ones that Cruella DeVil had

Even the broken ones.

If you cross the border to Mexico

The puppies don’t live to see adulthood

And the ones that do get mauled by cars or by people

But it’s not just in Mexico

Our furry friends get it in the land of the free, too.

Their ribs stick out like prison bars keeping them chained up

To the scarring of wooden bats that knock the wind out of them

Every time they dare make eye contact with the alpha.

And their muzzles are ripped up from scavenging for their next meal in your backyard

A meal they hadn’t had in months.

But every time we hear a howl of grievance we turn the other way

Because they are just animals afterall…right?

Well have you ever looked into those puppy eyes

Those infamous eyes that are well known for making any man

Any man fall in love with their first friend

Who is so much more than just an animal

But of course you don’t understand that because you

skin ‘em, hit ‘em, kick ‘em, cage ‘em, starve ‘em

And abuse them.

But in the end guess who’s going to heaven?