9

9

9

I love a good weepy
dog-meme as much as the next cry-baby
and nauseate irregularly
when the gifs load automatically
his hairy body
into my hairy body
 
unfairly the dog
becomes the shape of 2.13pm
in me on a Tuesday
 
if we accept the world as totally fucked
there’s a lot worse coming
than dog hairs in macaroni cheese dog hairs on pillows dog hairs in rented flats in bathtubs
in my hair in my dog’s hair in your short & curlies between my teeth in coagulant soap bars
 
some people are revolted
by dogs and dogs
are not up for revolting
myself, I am revolted
when dogs are lacking
 
what if he did lick my cheeks
by which I mean ‘buttocks’
which were coated in whipped shea butter and
heavily comestible
 
it’s obvious he’s related to a father
he never knew
because we found all his needs
and perverted them
into a kind of inter-species loyalty
or the usual master-slave hierarchy
 
before laying down the crisp breakfast bowl
of the rest of his days
which gave us carte blanche to rush in anytime
and smother him with kisses
without getting socked in the eye
(unlike when I tried the same on Johnny (who spat my tongue out (& no-one blamed him)))
when maybe all he wants is
just to go on
being less and less
subtle and alive
the way life becomes
very well known after its termination