for the love of animals

some of the idiot humans that live amongst us
see fit to slaughter the other species that coexist with us
on this planet
as if it was going out of season---
there are men & women
who dress up in funny bright colors & camo
to go rustling around in the woods
killing members of other species with their
advanced technology
to prove that humans are still superior,
as if any animal ever questioned it.

some breed animals to fight others for sport
so that more moronic humans can
bet moola on them---
some kill them, skin them & then weave them into
bushy coats & jackets to add that special “animal-like”
flavor to their attire, defending the obvious fashion move
by saying they just want to be warm for the winter.

there are humans who go even further to kill those animals
that have been deemed close to extinction,
they float around in ships and hurl harpoons
to kill off majestic whales who had the unfortunate circumstance
to be living in the anthropocene.

luckily, there are some of us who love animals
we love them because we understand our superiority in this world
& the utter ridiculousness that comes with the “need” to
kill them off in mass quantities,
slopping their carcasses on the production lines so that
some grossly overweight american can
have an early heart attack because they snort lines of bacon
like it was the purest cocaine this side of
columbia.

lovers of animals may walk a fine line,
wanting them to be free to live happy lives on the one hand
and then wanting to nurture & in receipt
be nurtured by these animals whose capacity for
companionship can be heavily underrated.

there are those that have “pets,”
which are often times animals that would not do well
on their own in the wild or in an urban environment---
for them, it seems easier to accept the taking of these
animals into loving homes
where they will most assuredly have a better life than they might have
outside,
however,
when it comes to those who have been stolen from other continents &
torn from their natural habitat,
in order to be put on display in a
zoo,
one can’t help but see the similarities in the various kinds of
slavery & oppression that we as humans have done to each other
being dealt to animals.

there are ways in which animals can cheer us up
or amaze us,
which other humans cannot do---
you certainly know the sexist saying about
dogs being a man’s best friend,
but i am sure that many women would argue the same
for themselves.

further respect can make one a vegetarian,
further respect can put someone out on the street with
various activist organizations who want the horrible treatment of these
creatures
stopped.

support them &
understand their real value---
there’s no time like the present.