A Play in one act by Roy

Performance: July, 2002
Youth Guidance Center, San Francisco


Time:2:45 pm
Place:Glen Park, San Francisco. We see trees, other dogs, a lot of kids running around. People playing with Frisbees. Smells like grass, fresh air, BBQ’s, Newport cigarettes. We can hear a lot of music being played.
At Rise:KNUCKLEHEAD, the pit bull is trying to convince his friend WISEGUY to get his ears clipped. They’re chopping it up.

 



Knuckle-
head:

What’s up man. Why you actin’ all scared to get your ears clipped? They ain’t gonna hurt that bad. It’s only gonna hurt for around about two weeks.

   
Wiseguy:

Because I want my ears! I like the way they look and I like the way people play with them.

   
Knuckle-
head:
But what if you playin’ in the park one day and another dog comes and starts shaking your ears and they get ripped? Then what? You going to be crying like a little baby that just got his bottle took. You might as well get them clipped. See how my ears are ripped right here? That’s from getting them grabbed and shook on. But hopefully sometime soon I’m gonna get mine clipped.
   
Wiseguy:

You just made me want to get mine cut. But I don’t really have a reason to because I don’t fight. I’m a family dog. My owner cares about me. He watches over me. But if I have to I will defend myself.

   
Knuckle-
head:

You don’t have to be a family dog to get into a fight. It could come unexpected. I’m only trying to help you. Because from my experience, my ears have been shook on and it wasn’t a good feeling. Remember what happened to me in the park?

   
Wiseguy:   I understand you lookin’ out for me but I don’t wanna get my ears clipped.
   
Knuckle-
head:
  You say you understand but you really don’t cause you wasn’t there. That dog actually ran up to me when I was trying to get the ball and started growling and all of a sudden he just grabbed me and started shaking on my ears and wouldn’t let go. You lnow how bad of an effect that is to have an older dog shakin’ on you while you young? I really felt violated because I was minding my own business when out of the blue this incident happened
   
Wiseguy:  

That’s really messed up for him to start a fight with you for no reason.

   
Knuckle-
head:
  But we falling off the track of the real reason we are having this conversation. You need to get your ears clipped so we can go to the dog show together. Do you see the way Loco and Coco look when they are running around the park chasing tennis balls?
   
Wiseguy:  

Ya, I see. I like the way they be looking. But I wanna be different than other dogs. All my friends have their ears clipped. Why can’t I just go to the dog show like this?
(Showing off. Shaking his head.)
I’m a pretty dog right?

   
Knuckle-
head:
  No you’re not
(pause)
Nah, I’m just kidding. You’re a good looking dog, man. But don’t you think you’ll look better if you get them clipped? You don’t understand if you don’t get ’em clipped you’ll look different? You will probably be the only one with long ears while me Coco and Loco and the rest of the dogs at the show will have their ears clipped You will look different than the rest of us.
   
Wiseguy:   I don’t want to be like you guys. I want to do something different. I don’t wanna be like other dogs. I don’t like fighting. I wanna turn my life around because I don’t wanna get kilt. I don’t wanna look like no killer. I don’t wanna be like you guys. I like to go swimming. I like being walked by Tiffany my owner’s daughter. I like being loved. I feel like I’m part of a family. I’m fed up with all this negativity. Why you want to get your ears clipped anyway? Why can’t yo be normal? I’m tired of seeing you chasing cats and killing cats. Why can’t you just let things be?
   
Knuckle-
head:
  What do you mean all this negativity?
   
Wiseguy:   You know what I’m talking about. Killing cats and all that crazy stuff. Fighting other dogs…all that stuff ain’t worth it. That’s just a waste of time.
   
Knuckle-
head:
  You know what? I’m getting tired of all this back and forth. Are you gonna get your ears clipped yes or no? Because, I’m starting to get hungry. And I need to know your answer right now because I think you are forgetting what happened to me when I was younger. Let me run it by you word for word.
When I was 8 months old I was at the park with my owner and he threw the ball across the field and and as I went to get the ball another pit bull seen him throw the ball and started chasing it too. We both got to the ball at the same time, and we were face to face growling and everything. Then all of a sudden he just grabbed me by the ear and I was kinda scared so I just did what came to mind which was to defend myself. So we started to fight and he had my ear and he wouldn’t let go. So I tried to grab his leg and that’s when he started shaking my ear even harder and I started to holler. “Let go of me.” That’s why I’m so vicious. Because after I lost that fight I went kinda crazy…started attacking everything in sight except for you Wiseguy. I’m trying to convince you to get your ears clipped, so you won’t have to go through the same thing that I went through as I was growing up in this crazy neighborhood I live in. You’re my best friend. I look out for you the best I can. If it wasn’t for you I would be running around attacking everything in this park right now. That’s why I really love you Wiseguy because you always try to keep me from doing something negative. It’s all out of love If I didn’t have love for you I would’ve been stop hanging around you.
 
Wiseguy:   I know it’s all out of love. I hang with you, Knucklehead, because I want to see you make something of yourself. Be something in life.
   
Knuckle-
head:
  Well don’t you see I’m trying to make something out of myself. I’m trying to be in dog shows and magazines.
   
Wiseguy:   That’s what I like about you. It’s just sometimes yo don’t think think about the things you do.
   
Knuckle-
head:
  See Wiseguy, you always throwing me off track switching the subject from getting your ears clipped.
   
Wiseguy:  

Because man I’m trying to tell you, I don’t wanna get my ears clipped.

   
Knuckle-
head:
 

Man, you getting scary now

   
Wiseguy:  

Tell me how I’m actin’ scary?

   
Knuckle-
head:
  Because you don’t wanna get your ears clipped. Let me show you how it feels to get your ears shook on and ripped.
(He walks over to him and he starts shaking on his ear.)
   
Wiseguy:   (Bold. Real tough.)
Hey man you’re hurting my ears. Get off me.
   
Knuckle-
head:
  See how it feels to get your ears grabbed? Now you see why I’m trying to convince you to get your ears clipped?
   
Wiseguy:   Hey man you ripped my ear.
   
Knuckle-
head:
  Yo, Wiseguy calm down. I didn’t try to do that.
   
Wiseguy:   Yo, what a liar. You did that on purpose. Don’t be demonstrating on me.
   
Knuckle-
head:
  I didn’t do that on purpose and I’m not demonstrating on you. I’m just trying to show you what it feels like to get your ears grabbed. My bad for ripping your ears. I didn’t try to do that.
   
Wiseguy:   Oh really? Well let me grab your ears and shake on them so they can get ripped and see how you feel after that.
   
Knuckle-
head:
  Well, if you do that don’t get mad if I start shaking back.
   
Wiseguy:   (Mad, angry)
Man you just manipulated me to get mt ears clipped when I told you I didn’t want to get them clipped! And I don’t have a good feeling about it. Now I don’t have a choice but to get them clipped and I’m gonna look like a killer. Knucklehead, when I get my ears clipped you better not talk to me.
   
     
    The End.


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