I try a new way of imagining people

as dogs

as dogs it makes sense

why anyone would be drawn to do anything

just as dogs rub themselves

in patches of grass

or suddenly lick a face

as dogs you can surely forgive

your mother

because she makes a funny dog

with frilly fur and worried eyes

and as a dog, is it so bad

you spend so much time

recalling a certain smell

or staring too long and too intently

at a torn leaf in a hot tub

a dog falls ill and says nothing

over time, they destroy the things they love

picture whoever is giving you trouble

or whatever part of you desires more than it has

then see a dog

pulling against the chain gripping his neck

or barely moving under a bench

watch the dog run away from everything it knows

do you blame them?