For A

There was a sign on the gate –
“Beware of hunting dogs” –
And the message was clear,
Real clear.
But a brainless old goof
Walks in one day,
Only to be bitten.

He was not the first,
Not the second,
But the twentieth guy
To be bitten by A.
And for the rest of the day
The owners contemplated
Giving him away.

The man who was bitten –
He was very important –
Albeit corrupt –
But important is important,
And when a guy who is important
Gets bitten by a dog,
They lay the animal to rest.
But no, this man is benevolent.

“Just give the dog away.”

The owner doesn’t know what to say.
Then he consults a spiritual leader,
Whose word was the final word,
And he says, “Give the dog away.
“He is no dog – he is a wolf.”
And so the owner obliges.

Dear A,
They are giving you away,
Because a human who was foolish
And didn’t know how to read
Made you bite him.
Maybe, if he wasn’t so important;
Maybe, if he wasn’t the twentieth victim…

But a bite is a bite, and a human a human.
Their worthless lives are more important
Than yours,
Because stupid though they may be,
Useless though they may be,
They are still labeled important,
And all that is important must be kept safely.

And so closer comes the day
When we give you away.
Where you will go, who knows.
How much longer you will live, who knows.
But hey,
Even if it’s a million years,
Or just another day,
You will always have a place to stay,
With us.