Dog

Have you ever witnessed and experienced the energy that runs through the animated body of a dog?

The pit bull has been treated as the bottom of all dogs for a long time. It's ugly face a symbol for an unrelenting jaw-grip, the pit bull has been abused and neglected. It has been bred to naturally feel aggressive towards other dogs, and combined with a preconceived notion that the dog is no use except to strike fear into people and dogs alike, we have an animal that cannot seem to escape its miserable reputation and its genetic conditioning.

I saw a 60 pound gray pit bull one night running with its owner. The man was stocky and muscular, and his gray tshirt was dark with sweat. The dog's name is Santana. He was excited to meet me and seemed ready to play rough after an invigorating run. The owner handled him for a couple minutes, and had to yell at the dog when it would use its teeth in play--this is a common practice to train dogs not to bite. The man smacked Santana on the side of his stomach and hind legs, and of course, Santana was unfazed accept for feeling slightly ashamed. Santana licked my hand with his thick tongue and I could feel him contemplating a nibble, which would have been fine; he meant no harm at all. The man had found Santana at the pound; the dog had been abandoned by its previous owners and if the man had not taken him home, Santana might have been killed. Santana has beautiful eyes that are alive with excitement and curiosity. The life had not been killed in this one.

Something to get you by

Audre Lorde wrote this poem, "Sacrifice"

Sacrifice

The only hungers left
are the hungers allowed us.

By the light of our sacred street lamps
by whatever maps we are sworn to follow
pleasure will betray us
unless we do what we must do
without
wanting to do it
feel the enemy stone give way in retreat
without pleasure or satisfaction
we look the other way
as our dreams come true
as our bloody hands move over history
writing
we have come
we have done
what we came to do.

Pulling down statues of rock from their high places
we must level the expectation
upon which they stand
waiting for us
to fulfill their image
waiting
for our feet to replace them.

Unless we refuse to sleep
even one night in houses of marble
the sight of our children's false pleasure
will undo us
for our children have grown
in the shadow of what was
the shape of marble
between their eyes and the sun
but we do not wish to stand
like great marble statues
between our children's eyes
and their sun.

Learning all
we can use
only what is vital
The only sacrifice of worth
is the sacrifice of desire.