Bitten by a Dog (Untitled)

I thought I had it made
Underworked and overpaid
I thought life was altogether fun
The wine delightful
And the run of luck well earned.
I — who had worked so hard
At last rewarded
No more hard graft
Success at last
I sat back awhile and mused
But now am all confusedi
Why in the mist of all this bliss
At this first touch of Summer’s kiss
This halcyon time should be so overturned
— Not by my lover spurned — But bitten by a dog!
Oh rotten dog - Rotweiler hound
Why have you thus my pleasure ruined?
My life was one of milk and honey
Free from the trials of toil and money
Now, faced with the pains of “all of us”
My buttocks full — of anti-tetanus.

by Lorna Bain — December 29th, 1985