Geoff Tomlinson
The Politics of Dogs
Dogs don’t vote
but they know where they stand,
they know which posts to piss on.
They expect their masters
to take the lead
and make a dog’s dinner of things.
Creatures of habit,
dogs work on differences
between, say, praise and command,
between skill and effort,
short-cut and dead-end,
between walking and getting there.
Dogs have an interest in breeding
unsentimental offspring.
They prefer sleep to hunting.
It’s no use making long speeches
even to the smartest dog;
they expect things on a plate.
Sometimes dogs go on strike
if they feel insulted.
Bones aren’t everything.
Dogs are conservative
socialists, not into parties,
preferring man to manifestoes.
Fair shares for all, means of production,
rights and responsibilities
mean nothing to dogs.
Old dogs learn lazy tricks.
Waiting for instructions
keeps them in their kennels.
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