Forever Lost

He is a middling-to-large dog
brindle-coated, lean and muscular
though as a puppy not the fearful
aggressive presence he now 
presents, but hugely dependent
on the man who carefully selected
him, eager to please yet prepared
for punishment, a vulnerable
animal whose bearing is noble
but whose mind has been
twisted by the inchoate rage
of helplessness. He is not any
longer abused, one of those angry
sad-faced rescues that good souls
hanker to give the solace of care
to, in a compassionate bid to witness
the transformation they trust and
hope will replace what menace
has achieved. Not this time. The
abused, beaten dog has rigidly
settled into the role forced upon him
designed by a sadist. And the dog
with the soulful eyes capable of
spitting fire and brimstone to propel
his muscle-tense body into action
his teeth prepared to grip and tear
snarls at the other rescues, cowering
in fear at his lethal presence.