The Dogs

The Dogs

First they came for the gay,
the black, the different. They came
with teeth, they came with claws;
they came for everything
blue, they came for everything green,
everything they could see,
but not smell.

They took our tongues, left their barks
in our heads so we forgot how to speak.
Each night, all night, we panted by the door
and never slept.

They taught us to love the taste
of our own asses, taught us to chew
sticks instead of food, taught us how to pee
for scent, when to pee, then taught us not to.

They taught us to love living in crates; the bones
of our fathers made tasty treats
which also kept our coats shiny.

We shaved ourselves so we wouldn't have fleas;
then we lost our thumbs, then our hands.
Now there is no one to pat our heads, no one
to throw balls. Who will make the chew toys?
Who will make treats?
Not I, we say; Not I.


CL Bledsoe

Posted over on Thieves Jargon