my dog lani

had a hernia on her stomach

she spent a lot of time crying

now she spends her time wreaking havoc

on our brand new carpet--and it's my dad who's crying

 

my dog lani

lost most of her teeth

to someone else's feet

now she buries her food underneath

the blankets on our couch--chewing them is too tough a feat

 

my dog lani

cries at the bottom of the stairs

every morning when my parents

leave until I bury her in blankets and swear 

the world's smaller than it used to be--she's safe in the absence

 

of liars and thieves

not fit to be of mankind

they wrap themselves in

carpets and pretend to be vampires blind

to the world but they don't fool me--I see through the web of lies they spin

 

my dog lani

has more courage than most men

certainly more than those she left

we may be the crazy ones but she'll never be harmed again

because crazy isn't an excuse it's a disease--you don't see anyone blaming theft

 

on diabetes

that's because cowardice

is unrelated to condition

insanity doesn't justify gutlessness

I've never seen a day of sanity--but you don't see me lightin'

 

the town on

fire because crazy certainly does not

mean I don't know right from wrong

my dog lani and I are a lot alike you see we both suffer from the rot

wrought by abuse and we've both overcome the odds--me and my crazy dog