Like a dog, I made my choice to lie down, and awoke with fleas. Scratching

at my mistakes like they would eventually fall away from me.

No number of baths would take away the stench of my transgressions, and

like a dog, I screamed at you and barked my confessions.

Like a dog, I whined and pleaded at the door when you walked away. Releasing

the leash around my throat from when you promised you would stay.

No food in my bowl, it lies as empty as my heart is now of emotions. And like

a dog, though beaten down, I continue to show my devotion.

Like a dog, I continued to try learning new tricks to please you.

Increasing in anxiety as my mistakes will always outweigh any new

breakthroughs.

No amount of time I spend being the “good girl”, I always end up back in a

cage.

Because like a dog, I have fleas you will always see as a plague.


                                                                  
TONIE STEWART is a senior pursuing a degree in English. Tonie Stewart is a transfer student to the University of Alaska Anchorage and is a member of UAA's Sigma Tau Delta Chapter. They also serve as the Far West Region Student Representative of Sigma Tau Delta.