A Dog sits waiting by Unknown
A dog sits waiting in the cold autumn sun,
Too faithful to leave, too frightened to run.
He's been here for days now, with nothing to do,
But sit by the road, waiting for you.
He can't understand why you left him that day.
He thought you and he were stopping to play.
He's sure you'll be back, and that's why he stays.
How long will he suffer? How many more days?
His legs have grown weak, his throat's parched and dry,
He's sick now from hunger and falls, with a sigh.
He lays down his head and closes his eyes,
I wish you could see how a waiting dog dies.
After doing a little bit of research on the poem I found out that it is based on a true story about a dog in Japan. The dog, named Haichko, would wait for his owner everyday at the train station so that he could walk home with him after work. One day after the man had taken off for work he was in an accident which lead to his death. For nine years the dog waited at that train station for him to return until his eventual death. The reason why I bring up this poem is because after Haichko's death people raised money to have a statue of him put up near the train station to commemorate his loyalty. Till this day people travel from all around the world to pay respects to this dog long after his death. This train station, although not necessarily an important place, is made ritually extraordinary by the people that take pilgrimage to this site every year to honor him.
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