The Dog
droopy dark circles around the eyes
brown eyes
sad eyes
sometimes he pees on the floor
they rub his nose in it
sometimes he is wiry
and playful
when they are tired and cranky
from their pitiful attempts at success
and their over-abundance of failures
they lock him in the kennel
with a bowl of tap water
and dry
bland dog food
he mopes to be let out
but they cannot hear him
over the television
not over the phone ringing
with telemarketer’s on the other end
and not over their constant nostalgia
for better days
he licks at his paw to pass the time
night after night
he licks the same spot
when he’s thrown into the kennel
and the lights are turned out
first he licked away the fur
and then began to go the flesh
little tiny bits at a time
time after time
night after night
locked in the kennel
locked in darkness
licking at his paw
hoping that one day he might take a shit
and find a way to rub their noses in it
