Ragged Stray

Ragged Stray

Betsy McKenzie

My heart goes out to you;
I see you poking in the trash.
Looking for some over-looked bit.
Your ragged coat is not warm enough,
Even in the thin spring sun.
Whose little one were you?
Why would they let you wander off,
So uncared-for, unfed, and unkempt?
Competing with pigeons for handouts,
You try to look appealing,
While staying well out of range
Of cruelty and “the law.”


The image of a runaway teen above is from a collection of black and white photographs at www.Humanistic-Photography.Com where Abraham Menashe has an expanded collection on autistic children, domestic violence, runaway teens, Alzheimer's patients, emergency medicine, and compassionate nursing. All are keyword searchable, model released, real people. The image of a stray cat is from http://valine.org.