Schopenhauer had a brown poodle
named Atman (which is Sanskrit
for self or soul) that would often
sit with its head tilted to one side
and a quizzical look on its face
as if entreating the philosopher
to explain why he considered
nonexistence so much preferable
to existence, but that would always
seem to tire of waiting for his answer
and leave the room and deposit,
like a philosophical rejoinder,
a turd or two in a conspicuous spot.

Howie Good’s latest poetry collections are The Death Row Shuffle (Finishing Line Press, 2020) and The Trouble with Being Born (Ethel Micro-Press, 2020).