15.9.23

From “Racing Blood” (in THE KANE RICHMOND PROJECT) by John Ashbery

Nowadays animals don’t go to bat for their masters that much, 
though a few do. Rex and Rinty were never the same 
after the burning stable incident, but did either of them let out a growl 
or as much as a whimper? Kane was a loving master, 
it’s true, but there is a sphere of soul in those animals 
no Pavlov could ever figure out. They eat dog food 
are grateful to it, and get to run around each day. 
Modern mammals shun salads or anything to do with pleasure. 
It’s because time is layered: some things make you sick 
in certain periods, cause pleasure in others. Depends 
on which layer you’re struggling through. And when the results 
are tallied, some are sheepish which should tell you something 
about the way the world is run.