Man’s Best Friend Molly Penney
‘Oh keep the dog far hence, that’s friend to men, Or with his nails he’ll dig it up again!’ T.S. Eliot Take him to the nail bar down the village next to the butchers Watch him stroll towards the window and watch as cows hang upside down Their blood feeding the weeds and dirt Take him to the nail bar and sharpen his claws Tell them they must get it right, do a good job Tell the dog to sit up straight and still Floss, strip the bones from his teeth Drag the intestines from his stomach half unrecognisable Make sure they make his nails look presentable He will get restless as all dogs do I’m sure But there’s plenty of women there to fuss and pet him Keep him company while he’s waiting for the paint to dry Tell them to close the windows and face the wall Well we can’t have him running off to the butchers next door His bloodlust is uncontrollable, I don’t know where you found this dog! I did say creatures like that couldn’t care less about death They have felt much worse than a pin prick on the temple Or a bullet in the head
34 | Man’s Best Friend
