Dear Sweet Girl

I see you.

kneeling beside those stray dogs’ cages, at the pound, on your weekends off, hands through wire, whispering love into ears that had only known silence or shouting. You didn’t ask for anything in return. You just showed up, over and over again, because your heart ached for what had been unloved, unwanted, unseen.

You knew what it felt like to be lonely.

And so you loved the stray dogs no one else stayed for.

That heart of yours—it’s pure. Soft. Brave. It made the world gentler for every soul it touched.

But my love…
It’s not your job to heal what bites you.
It’s not your job to stay in cages with those who won’t leave them.
It’s not your job to bleed so someone else can learn what love looks like.

That’s not love. That’s captivity with good intentions.

You deserve to be held the way you hold others:
Gently.
Steadily.
Without fear of being snapped at when you reach out in tenderness.

It’s okay to want someone to be okay. It’s beautiful, even.
But not at the cost of your safety. Not at the cost of your soul.

You are not here to fix broken ones who do not choose healing.
You are here to rise.
To rest.
To feel safe in your own skin.
To walk in peace, with someone who loves you in the soft and the strong, without needing to wound you to feel close.

So today, rescue yourself.
Step out of the cage.
Close the gate behind you.

You were never meant to live there.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2026

Poem

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Maul Avatar
February 21, 2026 at 7:11 PM
I can appreciate the meaning behind this piece
Williams Avatar
February 28, 2026 at 3:20 PM
I'm so glad it resonated with you.
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