getting a grip: a man should stay a man

Poem #10 from: Memoir of a Dog

Back to Memoir of a Dog – Introduction

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this is a difficult matter

I don’t even want to think about it
have put it off three times already
but each year
there is a new confrontation

and I know why they do it
it’s well known that there’s an impact
it’s about control
aggression management
safety

I know all that
and the local council make sure I do
by adding a financial penalty
for those who choose to do nothing

it’s almost funny
this discomfort
seems exclusively a male issue

it makes me feel
just a little bit alone

don’t get me wrong
no-one is exactly ecstatic at the prospect
or feels a driving societal need
there’s no thought
that anything will be changed
for the better
but
it seems to be only me
who can visualise
and feel the need to squirm
from the sensation
that shivers me inside
and makes this my decision

I can’t do it
will pay the extra

no-one is going to cut the dog
not this year

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© Frank Prem 2009

Memoir of a Dog Poem 11: the inevitability of bow wows