Contributor: Richard Schnap

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He was the tiny runt that no one wanted
Born with a limp and a lazy eye
And a stunted stature his owner claimed
He was sadly destined to never outgrow

Yet this handicapped misfit touched my heart
As I lifted him away from his stronger siblings
Bringing him home to give him a chance
For whatever life he was fated for

And as he stumbled and weakly whimpered
He would often sit watching the world outside
So one day I opened the door so he’d be
More than a cripple denied the sun

But now he lies buried at my garden’s edge
For he could not escape a fast moving car
My little friend with the twisted leg
The tilted eye and a dream to run free


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Richard Schnap is a poet, songwriter and collagist living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His poems have most recently appeared locally, nationally and overseas in a variety of print and online publications.