Untitled

Written November 2023

Notes: I'm so picky about titles, most of my untitled ones are just to save me the stress

Is the dog which chases its tail stupid?
It's nice to think so
We’ve invented the wheel thousands of years before this,
banging fire together with rocks
And this dog tries to hunt itself
Eats fire
This dog is stupid.

The dog wants to know if it can
Stretch itself around and grasp the part of doghood that’s always out of reach.
We’ve done it privately:
Made contortionists out of ourselves to look at,
not just prod,
The body we possess

And, so, the dog runs in a tight circle
Unwieldy claws scuffing up your hardwood floors
It reaches out and closes his teeth around it
Holds the tail in its mouth like a prize,
like the most exciting thing

This dog receives no victory,
and it lays in its bed with big eyes as it watches we people walk from end to end
The dog knows that we know what we are doing
And the dog smiles
Accepts a treat

Is the dog which chases its tail afraid?
Decidedly, no.