terri
was a
dog
or at least he thought he was a dog
on permafry
after chomping too
much acid
the doctors said he wasn't trippin'
anymore and labeled him
schizophrenic
but we all knew the truth
somehow the trip
had worked
some magic
and turned man into beast
a six foot four beast
with jet black hair
and eyes to die for
he'd bark and sit
on the floor during poker
and i'd stroke his
short black mohawk head
as he laid it on my legs
in public he behaved
following us around
and nothing out of
the ordinary but
maybe a low growl
upon the approach
of a stranger
we all loved him
and he was useful
being the only one
who could stand the
colic screams of his
infant son
he would sit for hours
holding him on the front porch
swing
until they fell asleep
for the most part
he was content
but it was painful
during rare moments
of lucidity
when he'd tell me
he knew sometimes
that people were
laughing at him
he just didn't know what he had done
and mirrors were
a bitch
the sight of himself
in there
behind the glass
enough to cause
him to fight
and roar at the reflection
for hours
as if somehow terri
could will himself
to come out
come down
come back
but he was who he was
and we all just made
adjustments
he was a dog and all
but a big lovable dog
so we gave him
food and water
and a bed to
sleep in
and he kept us safe
turning rabid
mad
at anyone who
posed us harm
but he was a dog
and as dogs sometimes do
he went away
astray
leaving us to wonder
if he had found someone
else who needed
his love
more than us
and we thought of
putting up posters
but you just can't
put out missing signs
for a man-dog
people just don't get it
so we sat and
waited
and fielded calls from
his mother
(real dogs mothers never call)
there's an advantage to that
until one morning
when i woke up
to him curled up
at the foot of my bed
asleep
his hands wrapped
around my feet
at peace
dreaming normal dreams
for the moment
simply terri
and not some
man dog beast
Birth sign: Libra
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