Red Meat
I love it
I just do
But I don’t wanna be that man
With his finger on the trigger of the killing gun
Or his mates with their sharpened knives
Spending their lives
In meat murder
Feeding their wives
And giving us
Red Meat
So nice to eat
I love red meat
But would I love the awful offal
The nasty waste that nobody sees
In cling-film packets at Sainsbury’s
The waste
The animal lives
Ended, so cruelly
For you and me
Sheep for tea
Does it hurt?
No, not very much
Killed with a quite compassionate touch
Or slit and bled when not quite dead
So wash away the blood
Take away the awful waste
Just leave the taste of meat for me
Pigs for tea
Pork, bacon, ham
Or even Spam
Don’t give me jam
I need my meat to be a big strong man
But…..
I could hate red meat if I really tried
To think about the friend that died
And ended, fried, or curried
I never used to be that worried
But I’m starting to see the hypocrisy
In piecework slaughter
With cruelty
And I quite like cows, but it’s tended to be
On a plate with chips
Killed for me
In the unseen horrors of an industry
That I can’t support any longer
I’m starting to change
So, what’s for tea
Heinz beans
Protein rich
And hopefully
Flatulence free
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I appreciated you poem seriousness and wit too.
ReplyDeleteI was veggie for many years, then not and rather neurotic about it all a lot of the time in both these states with obsession, awkwardness and guilt. I seem to have developed a whole series of appetite and digestion problems in recent years, which complicates matters.
I’m certainly fussy regarding meat and have the widespread shallowness of being disgusted by recognisable body parts, tubes, gristle and bits of bone or shell (even when it comes from an egg)!
Then there’s the whole vegan argument too, also quite persuasive. All fuel for my tendency to over think things.
These days I don’t often eat meat and try to appreciate that as a kindly gesture, rather than focussing on feeling bad when I do.
And best of luck with the beans, John.