I am surprised we can take what we want from the world.

We can just pull eels out of tanks put a knife through
the back of their heads and let them squirm alive even after
we have taken out their guts and eaten their still beating heart
on national tv. I am surprised we allow ourselves to take
all the things out of the earth and use them up and fight over them.
Really fight, great bloody wars with tanks and everybody's sons
or daughters gutted or burnt. Never coming home or coming back
scarred. I am surprised we can meet the eyes of cattle in trucks
headed for the slaughter when we pull alongside them
at the traffic lights. And I'm surprised we can watch programmes
featuring big eyed fly blown babies starving in other countries
and still get on passenger jets and still go to resorts and still
buy coconuts with straws and cheap flip flops and lie around
on sand like nothing of the above matters. When I say this to you
you nod. After a minute you show me an advert in a magazine.
This is the car, you say. What do you think?