Overlooked is a poem that takes the reader in an unexpected direction.

Cold floor beneath me,
noises abound.

Heart beats rapidly,
nails click
             click
                  click.

I look out of the bars 
of my cage to see my 

fellow inmates pacing.
It’s visiting day, and 

people pass me by 
without a second glance.

I’m too old for them,
too energetic, too broken.

The scars people have left on me 
laid bare for all to see.

As a woman and her child
stop in front of me, my heart leaps.
	
When she takes the child’s 
hand and leads them away, I

rest my head on my paws and wait 
for the future that may never come.

Process

I wrote this poem through the perspective of a dog living in a shelter environment. I drew on the experiences and interaction I have had with shelter dogs over the past 4.5 years of volunteering with them, as well as some of the knowledge I have learned along the way about dog behavior.

While many shelters go to great lengths to make sure all of the animals in their care are as happy and healthy as possible, there are some things that only an adoptive home can provide. Writing about dogs in shelters is one way that I try to bring attention to nation-wide issues like overpopulation in rescues and advocate for the adoption of shelter animals.