A Real-Life Drama

This dog standing in the middle of the street,

tail stiff, fur bushy with fear, and a pedigree rabbit,

its neck broken and bleeding beneath his paws,

might have been forgiven or simply taken away

and shot under different circumstances

and no one would have said much, except his owner

who’d gone out into the yard at the start

of the commotion, having been involved

at other times with the dog’s truancies, and yelled,

“Bosco, Bosco, goddamnit!” but unavailing,

and everyone understanding that once more Bosco

had been taken over by the dark corner of his nature.

But this other sentiment we shared as well: the man

Who’d raised the rabbit shouldn’t husband something

so rare and beautiful he couldn’t keep it

from the likes of Bosco.

Source: The Ledge (2000)