On A Whim

“Accept the things you cannot change.

Have the courage to change the things you can…

And have the wisdom to know the difference.”

― Nora Allen

The other day, I got a message from a friend long lost

who was in peril with body, mind, and soul —

Trash had piled up for months; food was rotting in the kitchen

The house smelled like foul flesh full of maggots —

The cat was thirsty and thin, and the dog roamed outside looking for scraps.

The greasy surface of life at a crossroads —

I told you so!

I wanted to scream and bang my fists against his chest,

but he was too tired to fight with me.

He looked out the window with a forlorn look and the foreboding of doom.

The ambulance pulled up and transported him with flashing lights to the hospital —

Just in time to save his aching heart.

We fed the cat each day, telling him about better times.

The dog came home with me; he got a bath and a belly full of food.

It is strange to see a person who meant so much to me in the past as just a shadow of his former self.

I felt compassion despite my anger and disgust

He got away this time —

Life lingers, and that’s good.