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Photo by Lucrezia Carnelos on Unsplash

Kisses in Prison

I woke up this morning,
To nuzzling and kisses;
It was not my cellie,
But the dogs we are training.
He causes smiles every day โ€”
acceptance without doubt;
How lucky I am
that heโ€™s part of my life.
He lights our hearts with joy,
as well as those around;
Unforced smiles seen,
genuine and true.
One day he will leave,
to become a service dog;
But Iโ€™ll always have the memories
of his kisses waking me.


Joy

Joy came to me on four legs,
Cold wet nose, coat of black;
Puppy kisses at off times,
tail wagging when Iโ€™m seen.
A bright light in brown eyes,
Excitement when I speak;
A neck scratch or gentle stroke,
Thatโ€™s all she ever asks.
A belly rub, dayโ€™s first thing,
some silly time at dawn;
Snuggle time at bedtime,
No judgement. Only Joy.


Dogs

They worm their way into our hearts,
then one day theyโ€™re gone;
Leaving behind many memories,
Smiles replacing tears.

Disclaimer: The views in this article are those of the author. Prison Journalism Project has verified the writerโ€™s identity and basic facts such as the names of institutions mentioned.

Lawrence Palubecki is a writer incarcerated in Wisconsin.