Yellow fur surrounded me, fluffy and new 

Pearly white teeth smiled at me from eight directions

My family had a decision to make 

I gazed at all of them and my heart panged

A timid shy one, different from the rest 

Buried his head into my shirt 

Even as paws jumped and leaped around him 

He sat in peace, in bliss

I felt a familiarity in his eyes, a short bittersweet moment

Which brought me to reflect why I was here 

And the wound I was trying to heal

For the first time since that day 

That day when I was so ignorant 

Of how hurt I would be later 

I feel small bits of weight slowly lift off my shoulders

I picked him up as he clung to me 

Fresh puppy smell lingering on my clothes 

“This one”

I was met with uncertainty until they held him

I know they felt the same way, that same familiarity as I had felt before

The feeling that maybe he could help with the hole

The gaping hole in my heart from my best friend being taken 10 years to early

We agreed on a brother and a sister 

So they could bond with each other and us 

The timid puppy I originally picked turned into a happy ball of fluff

Like he knew he was chosen 

Just like I knew he was the choice I needed to make 

He turned by wound into a bruise 

That slowly healed the more I was with him

And that‘s why he’s my best friend