you want to pull shit and run

instead they have you chained and shaved,
tied to a tree your ancestors would have loathed,
barking
barking
interminable

i felt a little better for you
southern tier drifts still not alaskan temps
you could have pulled my babies clear across this town

springtime now, my daughter points
"dog!" "gahg!" ---sounds like words
reminding you & me of what we are
a name for the hours, moons
& our essential boredom, etc.

nights you lay and dream of elk
bloody muzzle, not the alpha, OK
but learning again
doing again
the change coming by degrees

inside your owners drink and smoke
and come and go
coddling that piece of shit weiner dog

i'd feed to you if given the chance.