LIKE PAVLOV'S DOG / in a cycle of poverty
ABOUT THE POEM-
My poem Like Pavlov's Dog is a story about poverty, a girl who tried to escape it through marriage but found poverty's grip was too strong. It is a story about how she grew older and found her contentment in the little she had.
They Understand Wanting and Love
Like Pavlov’s Dog
Her tube top was yanked
to her waist in a bar fight,
the pink eyes of her breasts
stood tall for her man.
Thirty years later, her dugs
turn to bags of albumen
and yoke, hang over
her belly as she sits
in a calico moo moo,
threadbare and spattered
with grease.
She slaps worn cards
on a Formica table, looks
for an ace but turns up a deuce.
Her microwave dings.
She coos on a plate of hot Pizza Rolls,
gives a bite to her miniature poodle
named Max.
His teeth are covered in plaque.
His white muzzle is stained
kibble brown and damp
from panting and begging.
Her house is collapsing.
She no longer notices
that cracks in the walls are
filled in with toothpaste.
A trotline is wound on a box.
The snoods have been checked
and are ready for baiting.
Her old man stands near
the sink, rolls government cheese
into balls.
He throws one to Max says
if God is willing, we will have
catfish for breakfast.
`threadbare and spattered with grease.' Great line to capture the essence of poverty - thanks for sharing.
Glad you stopped by Linzo.
cute poem! thanks for sharing ! ;) great job!!
You are welcome, thanks for stopping by and reading.