Moti
He was a runt –his ribs stood out
He cowered on hearing a human shout
Lurked near the rubbish dump
Salvaging leftovers from the gunk
Tail tucked permanently between the legs
Feral,furtive,dogly dreg.
Mothering a dog was not on my list
Already had more than I could possibly hold in my fist.
But there was no getting away from that gaunt face and the brown eyes
Chewing empty milk cartons ,potato skins, or vainly trying to prise
empty jagged tin cans with his paws-
that brown teenaged puppy with a bloodied jaw.
So we carried some food each day
He waited to eat till we went away
And one day I imagined that his tail twitched
On seeing me coming-maybe just a little bit.
And why it funnily made my heart soar
How I started expecting him outside my door
The twitch tentative and hesitant
Gradually became a full blown thump ebullient
Now I contentedly walk with dogs at my heels
And curse and scold as they jump and squeal
For Moti has friends and attendants
And all of them are egregious miscreants
Their hobbies include chasing squirrels,chewing shoes
And occassionally dragging in dead mongoose.
My home is now their official terrain
And no strangers dare trespass this domain.
Moti sees all of us off - my daughter as she gets on
the school bus;he fawns on us on our returns.
He loves us but loves his friends too
And doesn’t panic each time we bid adieu.
He may not be a Labrador or German Shepherd
But he is handsome,proud and sharp- like a wild leopard
Lolo(my late lab) beams benovently through some heavenly webcam
Her spirit smiling at this canine bedlam.
