Look Twice

Nose bent in and eyes askew,
I couldn't look, oh what to do?
Just another human face,
Yet so tortured - out of place,
Eyes that roam but cannot see,
Suddenly grateful for all that's me,
A lip juts out, teeth grind down,
Yet in her deformity, she makes no sound.

A second look sets the world adrift,
Suddenly the picture seems to shift,
Deformity exists, no it's not neat,
But what is that, lying at her feet?
Golden fur, eyes wide and brown,
Not a hesitation when told to lie down,
He looks up at her unseeing face,
And so everything fits into place,
My naive eyes shift as they must,
Suddenly pounding over such beautiful trust,
A bond unimaginable and pure,
A comfort, a tool, yet not a cure,
My head hung, ashamed, I realise,
How much beauty lies behind her eyes.

[a serious shout out calling for support of Guide Dogs for the Blind. Such a brilliant charity helping so many people LIVE their lives by creating incredible human-animal bonds. ]

"Look twice upon the cursed and you shall see the blessed." - unknown