We Eat Meat - a poem

A MEATY CONUNDRUM

Hi, world

So, I'm a self-confessed carnivore. Oh, that sweet, sweet taste of a bacon-and-egg English breakfast... Also, I die for salami. (Probably will, from it, as well.)

Anyhow, this morning (19 November 2014) little Lydia Hanekom [in grade 9, going on Gr.12] challenged me with a charmingly naive vegetarian/vegan appeal of her own, in poetry form. I felt her poem was a little strident and mechanical, so I wrote my own as a riposte. Now, kids - poetry is not a competition, remember. I just wanted Lydia to appreciate that (a) more than one point of view is allowed to exist in the world, that (b) even a hardened meat-eater can see the other side of the metaphorical coin, and that (c) she does not have the market cornered on bad poetry (LOL).

So here follows my little creation. Feel free to comment on my twitter feed (@mrmonnig). If you wish to re-use my poem anywhere (PETA, is that you?) just contact me first. Mail me at heinmg@gmail.com - you're welcome!

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We Eat Meat - for Lydia H.
                                                               © Hein Mönnig [2014]

We eat meat.

Sleeping awake,
our lips pray the holy-thou
while tongue licks the blood off plates
glisten, the juice of dead beast
the hypocrite's feast.

We eat meat.

Grinning, as a snake
the lazy stroke of hunger
we coo to imprisoned birds
while our claws rend the shreds of foul
breast, wing, egg under death's cowl.

We eat meat.

Stroke the horse,
pet, the soon-to-be carcass
we sneer at unspeakable primitives
while glossy menus show the porn of steak
This moral compass, fake, must break.

We eat meat.

Sociologically sensitive,
human rights, planet-wide emancipation
we beseech people to be people-persons
while, earlessly, unheard they go —
Screaming fish, thin blood's unceasing flow.

We eat meat.

We eat meat.

We eat me.

Eat me.