May 13, 2009

If I had a dog,
I would not feed it.
Instead, I would let
it forage, dependent
upon neighbors and
passersby to give it
a bit of ham or some
cool water to drink.

When it returned, well-fed,
I would of course reward
it with a tickle behind the ear
or a scratch on its plump belly,
but no food will come form my hand,
no drink will come from my bowls.

I think the dog will eventually
thank me for making it so resilient,
so resourceful.

The technique obviously isn't my own.
(Though I'd love to take credit)
Parents, in fact, have been doing it for years.
Just look a their hungry children
filling up our nation's soup-kitchen classrooms.