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Poetry Contest Winner

with his lids closed and fingers

shaking, shivering on such a hot day in the sun.

on the morning of the first day

the monkey was chained in a room

alone--

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alone except for a stray in the other corner.

At seven exactly a man with a leaf-stripped branch

entered and saluted the dog, then

beat it for lack of response.

on the mornings of the following four days

the same grim was staged and

repeated--

repeated without fail, without change

save for one detail concerning the dog

who whimpered and cowered and whined now

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