DOG WHISTLE

We are all waiting, more or less,

for the day when the gig is up,

and our cover’s blown–along with

the proverbial whistle: when we are

found out for being the frauds

we think we are.

That we are nothing more than

ne’er-do-wells is an insidious soundtrack

that plays like a high-pitched whine

almost imperceptibly in our minds.

The music's shrill messages is:

we are not and never will be good enough. 

What we listen to, and yes,

silently tell ourselves,

can become our masters,

if we’re not careful.

And, if we believe everything we hear,

we are no better than

the dog that gnaws the bone.

But what this pooch doesn’t know,

because it’s too busy being obedient,

is that the limb it's noshing on is its own.