Write a poem about the way a man
once bitten by a dog can fear all dogs
for the rest of his life but a woman
once attacked by a man can never say
she fears men. Write a poem
about the way a Google search of women
and dogs brings up various pages
on making love to your dog and human-dog breeding
possibilities. Write a poem about the way
dogs were sacrificed and buried in front
of Chinese homes and city gates
to ward off evil the way ancient
Egyptians mummified their dogs with as much care
as a human family member the way Ishtar traveled
with seven dogs in Mesopotamia the way
Yudistira turned down heaven to remain
with his dog the way dogs ate the body
of Jezebel and left her dripping
in the street the way dogs licked blood
from a chariot. Write a poem
about the way a man can call a woman dog
and become her president
the way the three-headed dog guards
the gates of Hades the way a dog’s blood
was sacred and used for an oath
the way even Jesus called a Samaritan woman
dog and the woman responded
willing to eat the scraps from his table.
Photo by josef421
- Spelling Dog Backwards - April 15, 2019