Dei

that’s what

the crazy coot called her

latin for “god”

acronym for “woke”

this big old beast of a dog

he rescued from the streets

grizzly girl who never gave up

fleas ticks dirt dust

missing half her left ear

scars across her back

years of suffering

summer’s heat

winter’s cold

thirsty most of the time

mostly always hungry

battling young bitches

brutal males teats distended

from so many pointless litters

a trail of dead pups

in alleys behind bushes in parks

her eyes with one look

seeing right through

finally home

a small cottage with a

small fenced yard on

a dead-end street at

the edge of a small city

three months later

in the middle of

the now familiar routine

the old man dies

keels over on his porch

the police called

no relatives

no friends

just neighbors

she barks she growls

to no avail

animal protection arrives

and she’s off again

this time

to the pound

to be placed

on the euthanize list