Mange

On nights like these
the depression crawls back like a sick old dog
spiteful from being locked outside
to howl on the doormat
curling up on my feet
to lick it wounds
and stare dejectedly

I’m out of smokes and
too tired to kick the mutt outside
who am I, anyway?
I will never be your master,
nor
will I ever be
my own.

AnnaMaria Little is a fool child borne of a pair of Calabrians and the Appalachian mountains. She now lives and attends college in Atlanta, Georgia.