Tag: animals

For the longest time,
I felt like I didn’t know how to feel.
Like I was putting on a
Pathetic attempt at empathy,
Making a poor production of sympathy
While remaining apathetic as fuck.

And It’s not that I’m a complete dickhead,
It was just my luck that I was blessed
With Asperger’s Syndrome.
So despite my prickish tendencies and
My problems with thank yous and apologies,
Please don’t think that it’s personal.

My parents bought me a pet,
And by that, I mean
They bought a family puppy
In the hopes that I would get
Feelings and friendlier and
A little bit more normal.

He was a little pettable pillow,
A warm, fuzzy, yellow
Bundle of fuzz and fluff.
And through him I learned
How to be more gentle and less rough,
And how to look after a life.

As we both grew up,
His paw prints became imprints
On my personality as he taught me
How to play and be happy,
Bringing me out of apathy
And being always there for me.

When the day came that
He was too old and too in pain to play
I was heartbroken.
My tears fell into an ocean breaking
Into tidal waves of emotion
And it was strange.

Strange because I had never
Felt this way about anything,
Leaving me wondering if I was broken
As I stared at his toys and tokens
Of his life and affection and devotion
As my family told me that it was okay.

For the longest time,
I felt like I didn’t know how to feel.
He changed that for me.
Even though I was the one training him
Fetch and heel and high five,
He was the one who was teaching me.

Teaching me how to
Smile and laugh and be happy,
Teaching me how to
Care and cry and be sad,
Teaching me how to
Feel and appreciate the time and life I have.

And for that, thank you.
You were a good boy.

Question from Jasmyne M. from Facebook