The Animal Story
This is a tale,
you may already know.
The animals of earth,
the stars of this show.
It starts with the animals,
and fish in the sea.
Living with the humans,
and forever unfree.
Life as a product,
on menus and in stores.
A fate quite sad,
though behind closed doors.
It’s for humans they serve,
in all that’s around.
Yet without human language,
they can’t make a sound.
How they feel seems a mystery,
so the humans narrate.
With words like humane,
they try and compensate.
Yet they yell at no WiFi,
or a slow car from behind.
If only they could imagine,
a life of this kind.
A life a mere fraction,
which otherwise would be.
A fate set for slaughter,
and never set free.
It’s gotten so crazy,
with most tortured indoors.
It almost seems ok now,
buying ‘grass-fed’ in the stores.
The lessening of madness,
confuses and distracts.
But it still doesn’t change,
the fundamental facts.
These animals are enslaved,
with no natural life.
An input to business,
and then killed with a knife.
Eventually in stores,
it becomes all that most know.
With the huge industry behind it,
quietly running the show.
Jazz music and decoration,
workers paid to smile.
This is how it all works,
the corporate guile.
A lifetime of memory,
sure tough to compete.
With an enormous industry,
to make it taste sweet.
Vacations and birthdays,
the meal is the heart.
So much tougher to change,
because of this part.
The industry’s entrenched.
people’s habits, the glue.
Not too surprising,
that they haven’t a clue.
But what if it changed?
All as clear as the sky.
What they continually support,
every time that they buy.
No advertisements necessary,
the truth is enough.
Why wouldn’t one want this,
if they are eating this stuff?
Going even further,
what of doing it themselves?
Producing these very products,
casually picked off the shelves.
These animals are innocent,
most notice and pause.
For they're surely quite missing,
those carnivore jaws.
The blood and the screams,
sharp knife in their hand.
Is likely a reality,
that most couldn’t stand.
What is the difference?
It seems only distance.
For every time they buy,
they still provide their assistance.
It’s quite crazy they eat it,
but still forcefully hide.
Behind the shadow of reality,
and what goes on inside.
But quite more is disgust,
the smell and the sight.
Quite difficult to see it,
and ever feel right.
They find them beautiful alive,
and disgusting when dead.
What get’s lost in translation,
inside of their head?
From pizza to burgers,
it’s much all the same.
Breast milk and dead bodies,
just with a different name.
The disguise is perfected,
oil, sauce and spice.
Making what’s quite gross,
seem otherwise nice.
Intuition and instinct,
the animals do obey.
But for the humans,
it’s all different they say.
Hiding and disguises,
their bizarre solution.
All doubt dispensed with,
they simply say it’s evolution.
Fat, sick and diseased,
a species in great pain.
To the animal kingdom,
they seem quite insane.
A more natural lifestyle,
they pay it no matter.
They all hail for a cure,
as they simply get fatter.
Flesh, eggs and milk,
it's not protein they lack.
It's all of the other stuff,
they most abundantly pack.
There is much more to food,
health and humans thriving.
But they just talk about protein,
with most hardly surviving.
The doctors are the heroes,
and best kind of friend.
They keep them alive,
so this party don’t end.
Pills and surgery,
always just in time.
Mere zombies kept alive,
like the magic of Frankenstein.
What is the solution?
“Let’s run for a cure!”
The rallying cry to sustain,
this lifestyle impure.
They’re searching for magic,
the ultimate ideal.
To continually destroy themselves,
with no effects to feel.
No voice of reason,
to ever be found.
For the doctors and industry,
are all that surround.
“It’s just stress and genetics”
What on earth does that mean?
They’ve absolutely no clue,
but it sounds nicer it does seem.
Cyanide and arsenic,
autopsies easily reveal.
But clogged arteries and cancer,
always to mystery they appeal.
Moderation and protein,
drilled into their head.
All thought dispensed with,
so long as they're said.
It’s all based on doubt,
and the trust they gain.
From here it’s quite seamless,
to define what is sane.
The society reflects,
in blind reverence they say.
What amounts to be dogma,
and entrenching this way.
No knowledge or insight,
just ambiguities shared.
Removing all ownership,
of how their health fared.
Uncles that smoked,
and lived to old age.
To most it’s a relief,
with their lifestyle to gauge.
Change and ideas,
they cover this too.
They’re given some words,
to attack what is new.
It’s pills and surgery,
the saviors they deem.
But in changing one’s lifestyle,
they call it extreme.
Caused by industry,
which a doctor then treats.
It's an ugly cycle,
which continually repeats.
No talk of health,
just managed disease.
Forever the patient,
for some doctor to please.
Even with doctors,
many coming around.
Many still find reasons,
to block out the sound.
In a world like this,
blind leading the blind,
answers are certainly,
much harder to find.
But what of their planet,
amongst all of this?
The land and the sea,
are sure difficult to miss.
Trees in the way,
to plant animal grain.
Are burned down in billions,
with the earth in great pain.
For animals grazing,
it’s much all the same.
Covering most of the planet,
with desserts that came.
The animal waste is obscene,
disgusting no less.
But with methane and pollution,
it’s an even greater mess.
Wildlife vanishing,
their habitats destroyed.
All part of this huge industry,
and the land redeployed.
Under the sea,
giant nets galore.
Killing trillions of fish each year,
and they still come back for more.
The ocean’s look different,
once vibrant and alive.
But with so much pollution,
it just struggles to survive.
From land to water,
the needs are so great.
All lost in the translation,
from what they see on their plate.
For most it’s just fiction,
the destruction not real.
For they’re far, far away,
where it’s almost impossible to feel.
They have concrete jungles,
cut off with a fence.
When the planet is hurting,
it’s quite difficult to sense.
They can talk and talk,
but they rely on the land.
If it’s not respected,
it will all force their hand.
The story’s quite tragic,
Shakespearian at the core.
Just individuals colliding,
in their journey for more.
Like actors in a story,
it sure feels like a show.
Kids just grow up,
and it’s all that they know.
It all starts from birth,
with various parts to be played.
Blindly they’re chosen,
with the eventual paths laid.
This is how they all meet,
as they journey through.
Paths interconnecting,
and the things that they do.
The kids they grow up,
the corporate latter ahead.
Their bonus soon tied,
to how the world is fed.
Innocent at first,
then lured to the way.
Of the corporate mission,
and all that they say.
They picked a good team,
quite strong and on top.
Entrenched in the world,
almost impossible to stop.
Their job is to grow,
and not ever to shrink.
If change does emerge,
they hope none will think.
All over the store,
and all humans know.
With a powerful lobby,
true progress is slow.
Among them all,
which are ultimately to blame?
Almost impossible it seems,
to truly throw out a name.
They’re merely a puppet,
to drive the corporate machine.
Quite easily replaced,
if any weakness is seen.
Each have their story,
with distractions galore.
So it’s left up to the people,
and what they buy in the store.
But it all is so tough,
this part of the show.
With both habit and distraction,
how can they say no?
A long day’s work,
coming home by six.
What’s to look forward to,
but a nice meal to fix.
A lifetime of memory,
has quite an effect.
It’s never their joys,
they’ll ever suspect.
Food is the break,
the pleasurable sight.
The industry knows well,
in then wielding its might.
Very much like tobacco,
the dynamic the same.
Addictive with industry,
just a different name.
No matter what changes,
these industries don’t tire.
For there’s still many countries,
to spread this great fire.
The crux of the problem,
is blindness indeed.
Both powerful and poor,
and the egos they heed.
None are at fault,
but it’s still important to see.
To appreciate the forces
and powers that be.
Tied to the system,
and the habits they know.
They shout quite fearfully,
as it’s hard to let go.
They then look outside,
with a happy sigh of relief.
To see the world as it always is,
and the status quo of belief.
With past and present to guide,
the status quo's quite contagious.
All collectively perpetuating,
what's otherwise outrageous
It's a scientific phenomenon,
like gravity no less.
The momentum of herds,
and the avoidance of stress.
Change brings much pressure,
even surprisingly when nice.
For years of habits and ways,
will continue to entice.
No matter how toxic,
the brain will still seek.
Those methods of coping,
in times that seem bleak.
It's not too profound,
merely how brains get wired.
Change simply begins,
by rethinking what's desired.
Still quite difficult,
despite all their trying.
For even in healing,
it may feel like they're dying.
Quite the saga,
one changing in silence.
But nothing compares,
to a world's mutual defiance.
It can all seem quite scary,
so to the herd many flock.
Mutually distracting,
with deeper thinking to block.
Getting lost in the herd,
it drowns out the sound.
Forever distracting from,
new things to be found.
Sticky like glue,
though illusory it may be.
Cementing the one reality,
that all continually see.
If only they could open,
this block in their head.
So much could be helped,
to just eat plants instead.
The absence of animals,
really shouldn't offend.
Merely change is confusing,
without comfort to lend.
It's ultimately called vegan,
but it need not a name.
Just the way that they live,
it’s all quite the same.
Many are starting to embrace it,
for reasons diverse.
Surprised at how pleasant and easy,
this lifestyle traverse.
Amazing foods to eat,
quite colorful and bright.
Finally their food being,
a much happier sight.
A beautiful development,
once they finally let go.
From their health and lifestyle,
so many positive things to show.
It all starts with animals,
the stars of the show.
Center of it all,
if only they did know.
A nightmarish life,
no savior in sight.
If only they could see,
this great big fight.
Perhaps a bit of comfort,
like some shining ray.
Showing the possibility,
of a different way.
I know they are there now,
sitting unaware.
So many frightened,
it’s simply not fair.
For many it's tough,
for on this earth they won't see.
A shining savior coming,
to set them all free.
There's so much to the story,
surely someday it must end.
Animals freed from this bondage,
only to be seen as a friend.
For the human's and their saga,
this is just a part.
But opening to change,
is sure a beautiful start.
