Pavlov’s Dogs
In a matter of days,
the starving dogs of desire
learn to identify
the punctual chimes of affection.
Domesticated into contentment,
they salivate at the seven o’clock ring
and its announcement of love.
On the day the bells cease,
the hounds are shaken into
an unbearable awareness of their needs.
They pace their cages,
bearing teeth and growling.
Wonder how they became
so easily conditioned
so fast.
by Rebeca Ladrón de Guevara
Editor’s Note: Allegory is both subtle and shocking in this poem.
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