Stop this senseless violence
strong against weak
rich against poor
this dog-eat-chicken world
I can’t take any more
a lot of good chickens
have been eaten for fun
but the dogs just keep smiling
knowing not what they’ve done
tried to run, tried to fly
what’s done is done
we all die
but the means by which we die
differ a lot
sometimes it’s age
but sometimes we’re shot
and sometimes we’re eaten
by the strong and the rich
or like Fluffy the chicken
done in by a bitch
but the dogs aren’t aware
of the death that they cause
we are people, not dogs
please take a moment to pause…
Fluffy the chicken was killed today
in a violent attack
she was sitting peacefully on her egg
when the dogs came
and took her out back
and ate almost everything.
Our horse, Daisy
witnessed the death of Fluffy
and, though she didn’t know her,
she was still shaken up a bit.
When we found Fluffy,
there was nothing left.
I dug a hole,
planted a tree on top
and reflected
on all the beautiful memories
of Fluffy.
She wasn’t just a chicken,
she was part of the family
and she’s gone now
and we’re sad
but we’re happy for her
that she was so loved in life
and remembered so fondly in death
and that she will live on as an Ulu* tree
providing food one day
sometime in the future
as she has provided food for us
nearly every day
since we’ve been on the farm.
I wish that all beings could be loved
they way that Fluffy the chicken
was loved
and I wish that all beings
could be honored in death
the way
that we honor
Fluffy
the chicken.
Sadly, that’s not the case
in much of the world
for chickens
or dogs
or people…
but here on the farm
it is.
*Breadfruit
soitgoes1984 