Man's Best Friend

A silence settled thick inside the room,

Heavy as the years I held alone,

Where every shadow stretched into a gloom,

And fear had built a quiet house of stone.

Then softly came the sound of quiet paws,

A gentle breathing settling on the floor,

No demands, no expectations, and no laws,

Just a steady presence near the door.

I did not have to speak or explain the ache,

Or hide the jagged pieces of my mind,

He only rested near for comfort's sake,

The simplest kind of grace that I could find.

A warm and solid weight against my side,

A quiet heartbeat pulling down the storm,

In that slow rhythm, terror starts to subside,

And cold, long-empty corners start to warm.

No distant drops to quench a burning thirst,

Just living warmth that anchors where I stand—

To teach a weary heart that safety comes first,

And peace can arrive on four soft feet in hand.