State of Mind

 

7 AM Sunday morning, the dog in the

apartment next door barks incessantly.

It’s owner has gone somewhere again.

Another neighbor’s dog, whose master

has apparently taken off as well, howls

in response to the barking dog. My pup,

who has a tendency to bark at the slightest

outside provocation is surprisingly quiet

during the rousing rendition of this canine

cacophony.

I am not irritated so much by the dogs

behavior, it is only natural. But I do

question the negligent tendancies of the

owners who often abandon their pups

for hours on end.

Being a shut in due to my arthritic dis-

abilities, I have not had the opportunity

to meet any of my neighbors. However,

my vivid imaginings picture them as

either wart-infested, hairy faced baboons

or wriggling, slippery, slimy worms. In

any case, they are thoughtless masters

who I see as irresponsible misanthropic

caretakers insofar as their animals are

concerned.

Now, you may consider my characterizations

of them a bit harsh. Perhaps selfish, little

snips would be a gentler depiction. In a

way, being the obnoxious, sniveling and

judgmental person I can be, name calling

gives me a modicum of relief.

Understand, it’s what we reclusive old farts

impulsively have want to do.

I find that I have got to have something to

fill all this time stagnating this bloody state

of my critical and vacuous mind.

                               -30-

Chris Hanch 8-28-2022