Poem: "The Love Puppy"

This poem came out of the February 4, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by prompts from the_vulture and thnidu.  It also fills the "brand new" square in my 1-31-14 card for the Origfic Bingo fest, and the "embracing imperfection" square in my 2-1-14 card for the Cottoncandy Bingo fest.  This poem has been sponsored by the_vulture.

The last week of January,
I bought a stuffed puppy
as a Valentine's Day gift
for my girlfriend.

It had soft white fur
and a purple collar
with a red heart
that read, Be Mine.

It was half off
because of a stain
on the right forepaw,
black ink blotted
into the shape of
a lopsided heart.

The first week of February,
my girlfriend dumped me.

I was left with a brand new gift
that would never be given now.

I pried the red heart
off of the collar,
curled up with the puppy,
and cried myself to sleep.

I cried a lot that week.

Nobody wanted to
be around me then.
Everybody else
was gearing up for
Valentine's Day.

On the fourteenth,
I looked around
at all the happy couples,
then went home
and cried some more.

I tried begging Cupid
to bring my girlfriend back,
or failing that, send me
someone new to love.

The morning of the fifteenth,
I woke up with something
licking my face.

With a startled yell,
I scrambled off my futon.
The puppy yipped
in excitement,
dancing around
my ankles.

As she waved her front paws
in the air, begging for attention,
I saw the black spot on the right,
a tiny beloved imperfection
as familiar to me now
as the mole on my own thumb.

There was a pink heart
on her collar now
that read Cupid,
and tied alongside it
with a curl of ribbon
was a little card.

I unfolded the paper
and inside it said,
You deserve better
than a girl who
just makes you cry.
<3-----<<

It wasn't the love
I thought I wanted,
but it was what I needed --
and it was the one
that was there for me
when I needed comfort.

"Come on, Cupid," I said.
"Let's go get some breakfast."