On my birthday, and I feel cast aside; as a lonely dog, I’ve endured days of hunger with no meal
The scruffy dog sits alone on the sidewalk, his ribs showing through his matted fur, his eyes hollow from days without food. Today is his birthday, though no one seems to notice. It’s just another day in a string of days filled with hunger, loneliness, and longing. People pass by him, their eyes sliding over him as if he doesn’t exist, as if he’s just another part of the scenery. He waits for something—anything—to change, but nothing does.The world continues its fast-paced rhythm, leaving him behind, forgotten and cast aside.Once upon a time, this dog was loved. He remembers those days with a bittersweet pang in his heart. He remembers a warm home, a cozy bed, and the sound of laughter filling the air. He remembers the hands that once stroked his fur, the voice that once called his name, and the meals that were once served with care and affection. He wasn’t always a stray, a hungry dog scavenging for scraps. He wasn’t always alone. But things change, and the family he once called his own left him behind, moving on to a life that no longer had room for him.
The dog didn’t understand at first. He stayed where he was, waiting, hoping that they would come back for him. Every time a car pulled up, he thought maybe this was the moment he’d be reunited with the family he loved. But the cars always drove away, and the people who stepped out of them were never the ones he was waiting for. Slowly, the realization sank in—he had been abandoned.The days stretched into weeks, and the dog’s body began to wither. Hunger became a constant companion, gnawing at his belly like a persistent, invisible force. His once bright, hopeful eyes dimmed with each passing day, and the joyful wag of his tail became a distant memory. He wandered the streets in search of food, sniffing out garbage bins and hoping for a stray piece of bread, a discarded bone, anything to ease the ache in his stomach.
But the city was unkind to strays. People hurried past him, sometimes giving him a glance of pity but rarely stopping to offer help. The occasional passerby might throw him a crust of bread or a small piece of meat, but it was never enough to sustain him for long. Most of the time, he was invisible, a forgotten soul lost in the crowd.On his birthday, the dog feels the weight of his loneliness more than ever. Birthdays used to mean something. They used to be a day of celebration, a day when his family would shower him with love and treats. He remembers the excitement of unwrapping a new toy or sinking his teeth into a special meal prepared just for him. Those days seem so far away now, like a distant dream he can barely hold onto.The hunger in his belly is sharp today, more intense than usual. He hasn’t eaten in days, and his legs feel weak beneath him. He lies down on the cold pavement, trying to conserve what little energy he has left. His body is thin, his fur dirty and tangled, and his heart heavy with the burden of being forgotten.
As he watches the world go by, he wonders how it came to this. How did he go from being a beloved companion to a stray dog, wandering the streets with no home and no one to care for him? He doesn’t understand why things had to change, why the people he loved abandoned him, or why no one else has stepped in to fill the void. He’s seen other dogs find new homes, their lives turned around by a kind stranger who takes them in. But for him, no such luck has come.He waits, as he has always waited, for something to change. But the longer he waits, the more hopeless it feels. The dog’s world has become small, confined to the few blocks where he searches for food and shelter. The corners of the city he used to explore with curiosity and excitement have become familiar and bleak, filled with only memories of what once was.
Yet, despite the loneliness and hunger, the dog still holds onto a flicker of hope. It’s small, barely there, but it keeps him going. He believes that maybe, just maybe, someone will see him for who he really is—a dog who still has love to give, a dog who still wants to belong. He dreams of finding a new family, of feeling a kind hand stroke his fur once again, and of lying in a warm bed at night instead of on the cold ground.The dog knows that the world can be cruel, but he also knows that it can be kind. He’s seen moments of kindness—strangers who stop to pet him, children who smile at him, and once, a woman who left out a bowl of water for him on a hot day. Those small moments are what keep his hope alive. He knows that somewhere out there, there might be someone who is looking for a dog just like him, someone who will see past the dirt and the hunger and recognize the loyal, loving companion he still is.
As the sun sets on his birthday, the dog curls up in a quiet corner of the park, his body exhausted and his stomach empty. He watches the last of the daylight fade from the sky, and he lets out a long, deep sigh. It’s been another day without a meal, another day without being noticed. But tomorrow is a new day, and with it comes the chance that something might change.The dog drifts off to sleep, dreaming of the life he used to have and the life he still hopes to find. In his dreams, he is not a scruffy, cast-aside stray, but a beloved dog once again, running through fields with the wind in his fur and joy in his heart. He dreams of a world where he is no longer hungry, no longer alone, and where someone, somewhere, remembers that it’s his birthday and that he deserves to be loved.
