Guest Spot

My thanks to John Yamrus for allowing me to include this poem on Balsamic Vignette.

Since 1970 John has published 2 novels, 15 volumes of poetry. He has published well over 900 poems in magazines around the world and selections of his poetry have been translated into several languages...most recently, Romanian.

This poem -- and all the sick, perverted -- is taken form John's latest book, SHOOT THE MOON, which is available from barnesandnoble.com.

and all the sick, perverted

by John Yamrus

and all the sick, perverted

bastards of the world
deserve to die an awful,
bloody death...

i was picking my dog up
at the vet
today
and while i was
waiting for them
to bring her out
i looked over
at the big white dog on my right
and was shocked to see
it had an ear missing
and part of its skull was gone.

it looked like an old wound
that had healed over
and i nodded at the owner
and asked:
"what happened
to your pooch?  she
get hit by a car
or something?"

"nah", he said, "she's
a rescued dog."

"rescued?"

"yeah, we found her in
the road, thrown out,
with her ear gone
and her head half torn away."

"what happened?"

"the cop said
they see it all the time.
they figure she was raised
by people who fight pit bulls
and you can tell by looking at her
that she's real sweet
and i guess
when she wouldn’t fight
she was
probably just
used."

"used?

for what?"

"bait."

neither one of us
said a word.

i knelt down
and gave her a hug
and scratched her neck
and when i did
she turned real quick
and gave me a great
big wet sloppy kiss.

right on the face.

and all the sick, perverted
bastards of the world
deserve to die
an awful,
bloody death.