Page 63 - Humanism 2019

Taking Your Work Home With You

Poem and photo by Colleen Guilfoyle, Veterinary Medicine student

I’ll never know
if being pulled from that shelter,
where you were set to meet your maker,
where you were left by those you loved most,
in the most tremendous pain any being could endure,
was the right thing to do.

But if it was right
then it is because,
like all living things,
your life mattered.

You weren’t #A5213655 to me.

You weren’t the backyard dog
that became too much of an eyesore.
You weren’t a rescue statistic
or a surgery success.
You weren’t just another Pitbull in a shelter.

You were your soft almond eyes.
You were your wagging tail
when we sang your name.

You were my favorite shadow
that hopped behind me,
even if only for a little while.
You were the sincerest reminder
that this life is just as short as it is sweet.

Most of all,

you mattered.
And you will matter,
for eternity,
to me.

Photo opposite page by Katelyn Reist, Veterinary Medicine student

HUMANISM IN THE HEALTH SCIENCES 2019 • VOL. 22 60