(for Don Burness)
There’s probably no friend
more loyal than a dog
It knows no envy
harbours no hate
Rigs no vote
Robs no bank
Runs no armoury
Throws no bomb
Builds no prison
Precipitates no pogrom
Yet
Robbers use it
To guard their loot
Police deploy it
In race riots
It is valued meat
In some places
In others it is easy prey
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For hungry gods…
So
My good friend
If you plan to come back
As a dog
Make sure first of all
It will be in
A truly kinder and gentler world
The late poet, teacher, Africanist, and scholar without frontiers