sometimes
when i lose too much faith in the world–
too many wars
too many police
all going so right
for the wrong,
i look at my dog,
Fearless
asleep
farting
shedding
all over my couch.
a wild animal brought in
to serve a purpose
that went extinct
with the letter
and the barn.
and i think “all
this animal has to do
is shit
in the right place
and it makes me happy.”
that’s it.
i’m pretty sure if there was a god
he would’ve stopped evolution
at the
dog.
of course, the dog can operate
with no regard because it
doesn’t know the greatest
fear- that someday
it will
die.
but as animals
grow weak,
and the weak
are killed
and eaten,
humans grow old
in community
homes. and sometimes
they’ve lost it, and drool
on bingo boards and smile
at the space between
them and time. but usually
they haven’t. and
because they
are old and
boring they’re
stuck away, to ride out the days alone,
and watch their roommates
drop out one by one.
and at the end, their very first
learned lesson becomes their last–
if they want to keep everyone
happy,
all they have to do
is shit in the right place.