Letter to Pavlov’s Dog

by Marija Sanderling

How does it feel
To live with this mad Russian
On whom we pay homage
For because of him
And because of you
We now know
A bell can make you drool?
Are you plagued, then, by all bells?
The moment you try to impress
That sassy poodle in the lab
Two doors down
Who has a limp but still maintains
Her youthful figure
And you googly – eye her
When, across the street, the schoolmaster
Rings a bell to call in errant students
You drool, and she looks away.