"Burnt Offering" by izzy maxson

 The autumn my brother fed a Barbie doll to the dog,
 He had asked our mother for it and she had acquiesced, believing it was proof of her inherent open
 mindedness
 The first thing he did with it was offer it, held by the feet, to our Rhodesian Ridgeback whose name
 was (and this is very original) Tiny
 The whole family looking on approvingly like a Bar Mitzvah or, more regionally, a Quinceañera
 The plastic blonde head turning formless in the maw

izzy maxson is a writer and performance artist. The author of several collections of poetry including most recently "Maps To The Vanishing" from Finishing Line Press, they live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.