Trick Dogs and Warthogs are rolling on the lawn
of the child’s birthday party
the Trick Dog is tame the Warthog is Wild
only you wouldn’t know it
They mock-fight, bite and yelp for help
the Trick Dog runs under a folding chair
The Warthog charges at a seven year old boy who
wide-eyed with terror
drops the cake and ice-cream (the Warthog pauses; licks it up)
Mrs. Kennedy calls the fire department—nine-one-one
the Warthog has them all trapped inside
The house and has completely cut-off any avenues for escape
The Trick Dog plays along—barking
The Warthog charges at the French doors on the patio
they buckle, but don’t break
All the children at the party are screaming with terror
The owner of the Trick Dog is drunk
The firemen come and, with a hose, kill the Warthog
the children venture back out into the yard
newly washed as if after a rainstorm
the crepe paper decorations dissolving into watercolors
the dead Warthog blasted against the chain-link fence
The Trick Dog is loudly reprimanded by its drunk owner
for being a stupid dog, etc.
The children are picked up at 6:00 (most want their parents to see
the Warthog)
The hosts receive suspicious glances
Is a Warthog suitable entertainment for 2nd graders?
Isn’t that the Trick Dog owned by that drunk guy?