three-legged dogs

I live in a neighbourhood

of physically challenged canines

tough, three-legged dogs roam the streets,

taking every day as it comes

staunch tripods of muscle and mut

still as big, still as mean, just less maneuverable

the gutters, pot holes and cars give no concessions

and a local council doesn’t even provide special amenities

three-legged dogs caught in a vicious trilateral world

of the right, the wrong and the cheated

hoping to greet in doggy dreaming

a warm, little pile of legs