An idyllic Saturday evening scene-
on our street, little kids play
‘touch and go’. Excited shrieks
and laughter warm the chilled February air,
pavement alive with little feet's patter.
My neighbor’s Golden Labrador does it again:
he slips out just as his owner
drives through the tall, wide open iron gate.
Marley runs after the laughter-
playful, in his ferocious way.
Neighbor stops, engine idling,
and looks intently as a frightened child,
no more than ten, runs screaming in terror.
In hot pursuit, teeth bared, barking
with all his might, Marley obviously
enjoys the chase. I command the dog to stop
as I reach the child, his body trembling.
I look at my neighbor's eyes - waiting.
He lowers his lashes, shifts the gear,
tells his help to get Marley, and goes on his way.
In a perfect world, a little child would not know
the meaning of terror and passive cruelty,
all in one breath. He would not have to feel
less valued than a pricey, crossbreed dog.
17 February 2016
Catie Lindsey's In a Perfect World Contest
Hey, I've got me a plan to survive World War Three
And it doesn't involve living deep in the sea
With a mermaid named Maddy from that '80s movie
Or a grey-skinned E.T. hoping to crossbreed with me.
There's a bunch of big blokes known as Bigfoot to some
And they live in the woods where most humans won't come
Though they've entered our culture as the years have gone by
They are still seen as legends and old myths, that's no lie.
See, in spite of their fur and their size they're quite smart
For their fondest desire is to live well apart
From us primates who ravage the Earth without pause
Like the virus that spreads through its host - just because.
Called by Yeti and Sasquatch and still other things
They refer to themselves as "Jemah" and are beings
Who, unlike the poor bipeds that include me and you,
Can converse without speech, like our pets often do.
Though the tallest are known to have grown to nine feet
And they stink like old garbage, not to mention dead meat
I shall fashion my life on this heavenly lathe;
I'll make Sweet Thing my wife, and I won't have to bathe.
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