Through bombed out streets,
across rickety bridges,
we carry our cats and dogs
like crosses, some held aloft
in cardboard boxes, others
wrapped in scarves and coats.
As we pick out our way
through the debris and smoke
we cling on to them
and clasp them close,
knowing we’d no more
leave them behind than
our own children.
Their breath, their hearts –
they’re part of us, for as long
as there are cats and dogs
there’s still much more
that’s right than wrong.
