Nowhere Slow by Bogdan Dragos

Oh God, here she

comes again

by my window

with her dog on

a leash

and now the noise

begins

It’s not barking. I

wish it

was barking

but instead

it’s crying, making

those whimpering

sounds children make

when they try to hold

a cry in

The full cry of some

creatures is

like the suppressed

cry of others

This dog shows me that

we humans

tend to respond to the

suffering of other

creatures only if their

cries are properly

expressed and as close to

ours as possible

That is what gives

their lives

value in our eyes

Step on some random

insect and nobody

gives a damn

It’s because the insect has

no way of communicating

to you that it’s in pain

So underdeveloped is their

ability to express pain

that they have literally

no rights in society

and anyone can do

whatever they…