Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Hymn to Boeuf

O glorious animal that God has set for us,
we honor you by taking your life
and making it our own, your flesh our flesh.
This is as it has been and how it shall be.

We sear your flesh, drive the evil out,
so that our nourishment is pure, only love,
just as your milk nurtures our children.
This is as it has been and how it shall be.

O divine cholesterol, we take you in,
as God has prescribed, for we have dominion
over the animals of sea, air, and earth.
This is as it has been and how it shall be.

The protein builds our muscles so we
may worship and praise God. Our arteries
clog so that we may die and go to heaven.
This is as it has been and how it shall be.

We thank you for this divine gift,
life, which we take with swift mercy,
so that we may live with compassion.
This is as it has been and how it shall be.

Amen.

* * * * *

This poem was written in response to the Day 15! prompt at NaPoWriMo:

write a poem... in the form of a hymn to something that is bad or that you dislike.

Full disclosure: I am vegan. I do not eat animal flesh or anything that comes from animals, like dairy products. So, I am not being a hypocrite here. In fact, what I'm complaining about, the thing I dislike, is the hypocrisy of people who claim to be compassionate but who do not extend that compassion to animals. I will apologize in advance if you find my "hymn" offensive, but I've had people quote the Bible at me to justify their actions.

7 comments:

  1. Amen, Brother Walker! We had a discussion of man's dominion over animals at the Easter dinner table. LOL Damn turkeys chock full of chemicals to plump them up. mmm mmm... Interesting how we use our "dominion."
    ~Brenda

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've always been something of a nutrition nut so your hymn makes perfect sense to me!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brenda, glad to hear that people are having these discussions. The way that we have industrialized husbandry is appalling. Yes, I think it's interesting how we use our dominion.

    Linda, thank you. I tried to hit on themes of both compassion and nutrition.

    I appreciate the visits and kind words from you both.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like this Mr. Walker, good for you on speaking your mind.

    Pamela

    ReplyDelete
  6. I actually burst out laughing at the third stanza. How true, what you write.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Pamela, thanks. I try not to get up on my soapbox too often, so thanks for indulging me.

    Agnija, thanks. I'm glad that made you laugh. I'm not Jonathan Swift or anything, but I have my moments, I think.

    ReplyDelete