On Guard by Michael E. Theroux

This, this     animal
Not for polite company
Old dog    good teeth
Pet at your own risk
Then count your fingers

Likes it raw
Feeds alone
Even     in a crowd
Always on duty
Seen too late

Not for the lap
Sleeps    eyes open
Strikes without sound
Growls more than barks
Barks    and means it

But     then
Remember why we're here
And ask yourself
Why own a guard dog
That does not bite

Michael offers that he is entering the literary publication field in his seventh decade, and this qualifies himself as one of those ‘various marginalized identities’. It is disquieting, how often he feels the push-back of ageism. Oh, well - he is happy in his skin. His career has spanned field botanist, environmental health specialist, green energy developer and resource recovery web site editor. He is shifting from the scientific and technical environmental fields to placing my cache of creative writing; He has now had 60 poems and short stories published; his novel and chapbook collections still seek homes. Given persistence and time…