LK INNOVATE

Dr. Lokman Khan

A goat will always be a goat:
braying for its own tender grass,
expecting what it’s owed.

An ass will always be an ass:
braying in low, stubborn notes,
wagging its tail to no one’s tune.

A dog will always be a dog:
loyal, hungry for a bone,
tail thumping the hard ground.

Don’t expect them to be anything
other than what they are—
the nature of things
unchanged by our wants.

So feed the goat.
Let the ass wag in restless space.
Throw the dog its bone.

Meanwhile, hold to what you know:
The right thing to do—
for your country, for yourself.

28 January 2025