They say

My friend is old

Because he rests whenever he is

Not walking

 

I say he is

Conserving energy for

Encounters with the

Puppy next door

 

They say he is overweight

At twenty pounds

I say

He is just sturdy

 

They say

His lack of

Teeth

Make him look silly

 

I say

For a Los Angeles dog

Rescued from the street

He is pretty handsome

 

They say

He is no longer young

I say he has always been an old soul

But you can still see the puppy in his eyes

 

Aaron B. Jackson has been published in over fifty publications. He is the former Poet Laureate of Jersey City, NJ and is currently the Director of Visual Merchandise for the Strand Book Store. His poems have appeared in multiple publications and anthologies. For more information please visit middlepoet.com