cheeba

with a start my heart jumps

the howling pup struggles

pounding the cage blocking

the reach of its exertion

felt like me, blockaded

shut within some confining prison

somewhere in a coffin dying

its struggling fueled my hidden fright

yanking at some past isolation

some solitary confinement long forgot

my breath labored

my heart raced to avoid entrapment

fleeing the once boxed and tortured hurts

empathy redeemed me

reaching for the crying puppy

opened a door to free my repressions

cheeba, cheeba, hampered mutt

 unbound the power of past abuse

off'ring hope for uncaging me