Cattle Country
As I pass along the road and see The gentle cattle grazing Placidly in the fields, A calf nudging and suckling at its mother, While nearby two others frolic Like any other children celebrating Life. The rest of the herd with heads down Chomping, foraging. More than livestock, more than beef--these creatures; I have seen personalities...emerge. One beast lifts her head And through huge liquid eyes Stares at me curiously. My brain is suddenly jolted Into awareness of the reality And superimposed upon this peaceful scene I see-- Scenes of the slaughterhouse. Metamorphosis occurs... My mind becomes bovine. I wake into a nightmare! The stench of blood fills my nostrils, Screams of pure terror ricochet through my heavy body As I feel myself sliding through hellishness That reeks of unimaginable horrors. I sense a fiendishness Moving feverishly at the fringes of my awareness, Like a demon's ritual dance. Bellows, lowing, helpless bawling, An eternity of pandemonium, Panic clawing at my vitals Like a banshee's howl. I feel myself slipping In the warm thick blood of others. Suddenly, a savage blow cracks my skull; I stumble as it knocks me senseless But not unconscious. A sharp blade Glides effortlessly over my throat And I feel my life-force draining down To mingle with the others who have gone before. Double images tumble in my mind. My head reels and veers crazily On a roller coaster track As my consciousness is jerked Back to the tranquil scene of cows grazing In cattle country.
Shirley Wilkes-Johnson
Copyright © 1980 by Shirley Wilkes-Johnson. All Rights Reserved
May be used in unchanged form by avowed Animal Rightists if accompanied by this copyright message.
May be used in unchanged form by avowed Animal Rightists if accompanied by this copyright message.