JAKE by Denise Dubarbier

Denise Dubarbier shared this poem, JAKE, which was written in honor of her first greyhound boy.

 JAKE by Denise Dubarbier

 I didn’t really want you,

I wasn’t really sure,

And I’ll admit I had my doubts,

When you came through that door.

Not small, or cute, or fluffy,

With big, soft puppy eyes,

But tall, and thin, and bony,

With bald, pink, bulging thighs.

You weren’t the kind I had in mind,

Not in any way,

“Perhaps it would be better if I took you back today,

Before we know each other,

It really won’t be kind,

To keep you here for one more day,

And then to change my mind.”

But against my better judgement, I decided you could stay,

And quickly I discovered you were kind in every way,

Your gentleness and patience, they really stole the show,

“Why these dogs are wonderful, I must let others know!”

For you’re my gentle giant,

Who just needed the chance,

To show us all what you could be,

To wipe away that history,

And dispel our preconceptions, which put us all to shame,

And so we come to know and love,

What lies beneath that frame.

And now I’ve come to understand,

What I missed right at the start,

That greyhounds need that big deep chest,

To house their generous heart.

Denise helps run a small greyhound charity called Greys for Greys in the UK. You can find them on Facebook. They are in the middle of redesigning Denise’s book of poems “For the love of a Greyhound’ which contains a generous number of greyhound related poems. Keep an eye on Greys for Greys and you’ll see it when it’s ready to be sold. All proceeds from the sale of this book go to GfG to help the hounds.

APRIL IS NATIONAL GREYHOUND ADOPTION MONTH