Self-Reliance
The old man has a breeding pair of emus now,
to go with the pig, the chickens and the ducks,
three sheep, a goat (all edible), a dairy cow,
a livestock trailer and two rusty pickup trucks.
Quite the country gentleman, since he’s left
the city’s worries far behind. Two big hounds
on chains protect his property from theft.
He’s got a six-foot fence around the grounds.
He talks of self-reliance, and he’s got a gun,
a hatchet, and a boning knife. The emus will
hatch baby emus, and be eaten; and the sheep,
the pig, each to its fated purpose under Sun.
It’s simply home economy, not sport, to kill.
He’ll clear the table and go upstairs to sleep.
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