Gracie's Place - Jan. 9, 2025

shoved behind the front lines

by others’ need for attention

she no longer receives the first

fingers when I arrive home

the other two dogs get those hands

with their greed and well-

muscled necks and torsos

she bounces aways

like a dust bunny to the edge

of inaction and stares at me

canine grannies get no sympathy

from fellow floor dwellers

if dogs had winter fires on cold nights

she’d lay beyond the first circle

shivering to stay warm

perhaps sneak in between two

of the larger snorers

to steal some heat

and fend off some of the chill

of loneliness