The truest reflection of myself

Is not seen through the panes of a mirror.

The truest reflection of myself

Is the reflection upon my dogs amber eyes.

You laugh in my face,

Saying a dog cannot be but a reflection.

And I laugh steadily in yours,

Because clearly you’ve no idea.

When I look in a mirror,

I see fat and acne, and awkward eyebrows

I see a chubby face, slanted eyes.

A nose that is small and subject to bullies.

When I look into a mirror

I see not who I think I am,

But what I think is the opposite

Of everything I ever wanted to be.

When I look into my dog’s eyes,

I see admiration and the purest love.

The simplest yet most complicated beauty,

I see hope and trust and faith and loyalty.

When I look into my dogs eyes,

I see clearer than anything I have ever seen

Because when I look into my dog’s eyes,

I see two amber eyes, staring back at me.

“It is just a dog,” you tell me.

“You can always buy another.”

No, my mortal being,

This dog you see here is like no other.

I can’t count on any human,

To keep the secrets I need the most.

I can’t count on any human,

To stay with me at my worst.

I can’t look into any person’s eyes,

And see everything but judgement.

I can’t look into a person’s eyes,

And see more than skin color and religion.

When I look into my dog’s eyes,

I can tell there is more than me.

It isn’t just a him or her,

When looking in his eyes, there is a we.

An us, a them, a team.

Within my dog I find meaning.

Within my dog I find my peace.

Because in my dog, there is much more,

Then what you see upon the surface.

When I lay in bed, tears streaming down my face,

There is nothing more in the world,

Then my dog I want in that place,

Between my wall and my side.

When I wake up in the morning,

To the toys he brings to me,

There is no clearer meaning,

Of where I am meant to be.

When my depression kicks in,

And I have nowhere left to turn,

My dog, he does run to me,

His body I can hold,

When I am frightful of even myself,

He makes me want to be so much more.

My dog is my inspiration,

To be the best person I can be.

Because if I could be like anyone,

It would be my dog, with his eyes I wish I could see.

So when you tell me that my dog,

Is just like any other, I will promise you,

That you are so very wrong.

That it is such a pity, you haven’t felt such love.