The Taming of the Beast
Give the Beast a clean shirt, a shave and a shower
Tell him about rainbows and how to smell a flower
Give him a reason, some meaning and a taste
Of how things can be on the other side of waste
Take him to the movies, to the mall and the park
Tell him about other tongues that are different from ‘bark’
Show him how to bite an apple instead of a throat
Tell him how misery and mirth travel the same boat
Teach him about balance, about insurance and kids
Draw him a picture of pots and pans and lids
Seduce him with home scenes, laughter and Sundays
Teach him to love weekends and how to hate Mondays
Tell him about college funds and semesters and ice creams
Tell him how his dream is now all about his kids’ dreams
Give him a goal about how much asset to leave behind
When he is done being a nobody and drops off the grind
Make the Beast a neutered midget, meaningless and zero
Rob him of his every chance of ever being a hero
Lull him and dull him, cut off his poetry and his rhyme
It’s Samson and Delilah all over again, except it’s his head this time
And when the play is done and the audience rises like yeast
Scream with your last lungs — ‘Motherfuckers, at least I was a beast
It’s not the least, it’s not the most; it’s certainly not a success toast
But being a beast is better than the least and surely more than a fucking boast’