Corey's Saga - A Trilogy

Corey's Story ~ A Trilogy

3 Warnings regarding this poem. One: it is long, as it is in three parts. Two: it makes a statement about "gift" pet adoptions. Three: The only happy ending is maybe someone won't adopt an animal as a "gift" for anyone - adult or child - or for a specific time of year; hence bunnies & chicks at Easter or puppies & kittens for Christmas or birthdays.

The Pet Store

My name is Corey
And here's my story.

Just outside town -
Don't know which one -
I was born
On a Sunday morn.

One day while playin'
Beside my mama,
A man came by
Took my brothers and I.

He brought us to town,
And he gave us
To a man who paid
To take us away.

Brought to a mall -
Somewhere, USA.
A pet store I was told -
To be bought and sold.

I stayed there a while
'Til winter came.
I learned the ropes -
Be cute and have hopes.

My brothers all left
One by one,
And I was alone
At night, how I'd moan.

Then, one day
As I was lookin' sad,
A man looked at me
And said, "How much is he?"

I was taken from my cage
And put into a box.
As we drove, I fell asleep
Dreaming of the home I'd keep.

I dreamed of children
And a bowl with my name.
A backyard to run
And playin' in the sun.

The Gift

My name is Corey
And here's my story.

I was bought at a store
Where pets are sold.
I traveled by car
To somewhere - not far.

I was taken from
My box with holes
And placed on the floor
With papers, which I tore.

The door was shut
To my little room -
Dark and lonely -
Alone he left me.

I started to whimper
To no avail
And slowly dozed
'Til the sun rose.

Again, he came
And put me in a box -
With bow and ribbon trim
And a tag that read "TIM".

We went in the car
And drove away.
We stopped after a while -
Could've been a mile.

Lookin' through a hole, I see;
We went into a house.
On the floor I go - PLOP -
And someone lifted the top.

"Merry Christmas!"  He said.
As I sprang from my box,
I wagged my tail
And barked and wailed.

Meanwhile, the man
Who brought me had left,
Leaving me with them
And their little boy, Tim.

The Pound

My name is Corey
And here's my story.

Christmas came
And Christmas went.
A gift to Tim
But not for them.

"No" and "Don't" - they say;
So, I bark at them…
"But I'm just a puppy!" -
They misunderstand me.

They sat Tim down.
"We can't keep him, son,"
One of them said -
Words I would soon dread.

"What can we do;
Where will he go?"
"He'll go to the pound
Back in town."

They put me back
Into my box
And drove me away.
I couldn't stay.

When we stopped,
There was a sign - "SHELTER".
They gave me to a lady;
She said, "Another gift, I see".

They tried to explain -
I wouldn't learn.
What a lie…
They didn't try!

The lady took me;
Said I'll be OK
As she put me in a cage
With another my age.

I asked "Buster"
How he got here.
He said, "Same old story -
Christmas gift, Corey".


I told him my story
He said he knew.
I said, "I tried -
Why did they lie?"

Buster says,
"Folks give pets as gifts
'Cause their kids are happy
Holding a kitty or puppy".

"When they've had enough,
They bring us here -
To look cute, hope and wait…
Now…who knows our fate."

Buster says the pound
Is like a pet store.
Only…when it's your time,
You cross the Line.

The Line - the doorway to
The room of no return.
Gone for eternity -
But I'm just a puppy!

Someone, please, adopt me!

Written By: Robyn Lynne Stacey
Dates: January 9-11, 1996