The Lap Dog

Isn't it fair to wonder what
pampered little dogs think of
the humans who coo over them
in their cosmetic fixation on
transforming a small animal into 
a plaything, a vicarious child,
an adorably absurd creature
of their imagining as removed
from what nature intended as
the wistful sighting of unicorns
with focus on sires and dams,
breeding and bloodlines
pedigrees and coiffures
transforming an animal into
a strange chimera. The cossetted
pet wisely refrains from baring
teeth and claws, sighs in relief
at the cognitive frailty of a
lesser creature, steering the
conversation to covert domination.