Compassion For The Old Dog She owns

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Rachel20

Senior Member
#1
May 7, 2013
1,639
105
63
#1
They brought him in a cardboard shoe box, adorable, mangy, wagging tail;
She loved him the day she saw him, and love was a verb, a noun, a test most fail
Then she outgrew him, she had to, you see, there were plans, lessons, hopes, and dreams
Some she achieved, some she sold, some she held on to with every means


She saw him on a hot sunny day, closed windows, no fans, no AC, bright light
He took her number, she called, he smiled, she laughed, he cried
Enervation, fatigue, they hated her, mistook her for a monster in the night
For once, just once, can anyone understand my heart, help me, take flight


Alienation, derogation, humiliation, white hot searing pain
He couldn't handle it, goodbye ma'am, we'll meet another day
Another void, another gaping bleeding wound that would need healing
Darn it. She said. Let me go back. Let me figure out what I should say


She was so lost now, she found out her brain cells had died
Back and forth, back and forth, there's no way out now, shoot. away.
I'll go back to my cardboard box and look for him. I'll take back what's mine
And he was there. Mangy. Wagging Tail. Swish, a back and forth sway


For once now in my life. I love you. I need you. I miss you. I'll keep you.
I'll play with you. I'll feed you. I'll brush you. I'll bathe you. You are mine.
Time flies so fast and the kids when we were kids have all grown up.
I'll give you compassion, you give me compassion, we'll stay young.
 
B

BADDOG

Guest
#2
#2
​Some poems just touch the heart and this one does it so well GBU thanks so much for posting this
 
R

Rachel20

Senior Member
#3
May 7, 2013
1,639
105
63
#3
Thank you so much for reading it BADDOG! I am encouraged :)
 
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Rachel20

Senior Member
#4
May 7, 2013
1,639
105
63
#4
As soon as I wrote this poem, I started asking my friends what they thought about it. I wanted their interpretation and how they felt about it. I didn't want to give my own interpretation of the poem because I did not want any personal bias.

This poem is very metaphorical and also written after a sleepless night ( and not much food). I can't even say that I can clearly give an explanation but because a dear friend on here asked, so I will. This is a just a basic literal meaning of the poem.



They brought him in a cardboard shoe box, adorable, mangy, wagging tail;
She loved him the day she saw him, and love was a verb, a noun, a test most fail
Then she outgrew him, she had to, you see, there were plans, lessons, hopes, and dreams
Some she achieved, some she sold, some she held on to with every means

Meaning :- This stanza introduces a young girl who finds a little puppy in cardboard box. The cardboard box represents childish and innocent youth. The puppy represents our ideas and dreams. It's also representative of love - an ideal that she believes in and for a while she is happy until the world beckons. She has ambitions, goals , plans and dreams and the puppy is no longer her playmate.

She saw him on a hot sunny day, closed windows, no fans, no AC, bright light
He took her number, she called, he smiled, she laughed, he cried
Enervation, fatigue, they hated her, mistook her for a monster in the night
For once, just once, can anyone understand my heart, help me, take flight

Meaning-

She's now working in the world. She meets a young man and they pursue each other. She meets him in a claustrophobic place and she's uncomfortable and unhappy. The people around her misunderstand her and hate her, and she finds herself very tired.
The irony is despite seemingly finding ''love'' in the fashion of a young man, she feels isolated and alienated.
The idea of love that she envisioned is a mirage.


Alienation, derogation, humiliation, white hot searing pain
He couldn't handle it, goodbye ma'am, we'll meet another day
Another void, another gaping bleeding wound that would need healing
Darn it. She said. Let me go back. Let me figure out what I should say

Meaning -

The feelings of alienation continue, interspersed with humiliation. Her difficulty coping and understanding her unhappiness in the world receives no sympathy from the young man who leaves her.
"Another void, another gaping bleeding wound that would need healing"
This is to show that this is not the first time that she has experienced such a disappointment. She seems to be in a constant state of healing.
She decides to ''go back'' to her "first love'' - her little puppy.

She was so lost now, she found out her brain cells had died
Back and forth, back and forth, there's no way out now, shoot. away.
I'll go back to my cardboard box and look for him. I'll take back what's mine
And he was there. Mangy. Wagging Tail. Swish, a back and forth sway

Meaning -

This is the stage of extreme confusion in her life. She has decided to go back to her old self but she finds out that she cannot.
She has changed so much that she can never regain that innocence back. Her brain is different and even if she tries, "back and forth" , "back and forth", she has no way to go back to that.
She revisits her youth and her childhood and tries to look for her "puppy". (This is her first love) To her great surprise she finds out, despite all the change, her puppy still exists, but is of course no longer a puppy.
Her puppy is now an old dog.



For once now in my life. I love you. I need you. I miss you. I'll keep you.
I'll play with you. I'll feed you. I'll brush you. I'll bathe you. You are mine.
Time flies so fast and the kids when we were kids have all grown up.
I'll give you compassion, you give me compassion, we'll stay young.


Meaning -

She promises to look after her old dog. She promises to love, feed, clean and take care of him. She fully claims responsibility for her ''puppy'' and intends to stay till the end.
However she is aware of the time she has lost with her dog and how little time she has left.
In her state of brokenness, she is finally united with her dog, and she requests compassion. Compassion to understand why she left her puppy in the first place, and compassion for her dog. She believes that with that hope in mind, she and her dog can stay young for a while.


For me this poem reflects growing up and getting caught up in the world, and trying to return to who you once were. Significantly I wanted to express the girl's alienation and unhappiness with the world.
Peace cannot be received from the world.
Only Jesus can give that peace.

I hope you enjoy reading the poem. God bless you :)
 
G

Gus

Guest
#5
#5
How profound ! How poignant ! Thank you so much Rachel for the interpretation. GUS.
 
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