Il Duce at the Dog Park


although we agree on the Sox game my son 
takes the remote and yells Paw Patrol 
into the voice activator 
as if he’s Ryder ruff 
roughing tv commands to his team of obedient pups. 
I’ll tell you something, pups 
Ryder doesn’t need you. Never has. His go-getter American exceptionalism 
is just a smokescreen for an Adderall problem. 
Ryder is one bender away from a stint at Promises
but I don’t tell my son any of this. Let him be a kid, right. 
As it is he’ll never understand the emotional design of a cassette mixtape
the highs & lows of handwritten liner notes, how to use pause 
to soundmix the thump click oomph of the record button 
or play video games 
at places that double as names for metal albums 
like dragon’s den & dream machine & the electric carousel 
& I don’t have the heart to him tell Paw Patrol is Authoritarian Propaganda &
Ryder isn’t a Robin Hood vigilante 
but just another il duce at the dog park