What can I say!

This poem is so raw and definitely has the ability to open up one's mind if not already opened.

All around me,
separated four or five to a pen,
goats, rabbits and sheep
are color coded
with magic marker stripes
for the slaughter house
to which they are destined
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This poem reminds me of how on a farm, they tag the animals on the ears so they know what sex they are or tag them in different markings to know what they will be used for. The use of the words colours and stripes sounds very beautiful but the fate itself is quite harsh. Awesome stanza

Each trailer pulls up
with the same routine:
steers loaded first
separator gate closed
then pigs, goats and lambs,
FFA projects for the year
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
To me the animals are more treated as numbers rather than living things.

Each living creature loved
and nurtured by one
young girl or boy;
nursed through sickness
exercised for strength
and fed for firm marbling
to win the prize of auction.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is so sad. Heartbreaking actually. The idea that a young child has nurtured this animal throughout its life but possibly not knowing its fate is terrible. They think that at the auction they will go to live on those nice farms but in the end they could be taken to a slaughterhouse.

Now the show is over
the auction is closed
and these near-pets
are nothing but meat
waiting for delivery
to tables and freezers.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Very true and very sad. I can't imagine what it would be like growing up on a farm. I guess people don't know any different if they grow up on the farms but for me I'd get too attached to the animals.

Lady Ba BA looks around;
she tolerates me only
because I feed her
when Jessica cannot;
it is her mistress she seeks
in the chaos of loading -
the child she trusts
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is sooooooooooooooo sad it makes me teary. The idea that the animal is looking for the one that it trusts the most and cannot find him / her.

When her human comes, they will fly
back to the barn and frolic
as lambs will do
and life will go on
for ever after.
Again, Lady searches for her
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I love how you say that the animal is dreaming of a more peaceful place. What the animal will do with its human when it returns.

The last stanzas are terrible. Heartbreaking, the idea that this human may be consuming the thing she loved the most.

I couldn't do it but I know that it's a way of life for some people, but I guess I don't know any different either.

This is going to my favourites and I will nominate for next week.

x

Larry,
You speak of something I am quite familiar with. We have a bull that has now become a pet, simply because we grew closer to him than the ones we made steers. It is quite a difficult task to break the child from the animal, as well the animal from the child whom it has built trust in. I own and operate a meat processor and see this done everyday, though it would be difficult for even myself to do that to our bull (not that he would taste good anyways lol).

I know that it is difficult for Jess, as I am sure for you it was to know the pain she felt of having to part with Lady Ba Ba. So we learn the circle of life and experience much and learn more from it than it could ever learn from us.

I loved the personal touch on this write and felt it brought a level of understanding between father/daughter relationship.

I couldn't help but be reminded of one of my favorite books from childhood "Charlottes Web" with your read here. I know it is quite a bit different but just imagined your daughter as being much like that of Fern Arable.

Lovely read, thanks for sharing a little part of your life with us.

Disturbing larry did you have a bad day when you wrote that poem. really disturbing poem.

The profound impact of witnessing, no, being personally invested in life meant for sacrifice is not describable in trite terms. Was it a "bad day"? Yes, and yet a most reaffirming day at the same time.

I had some mixed feeling while reading this to be honest and...you probably know why. It must have been very difficult for you to watch your daughter's pain as she was separated from what (by giving it a name) had become a pet to her...but it will probably be a learning curve for her. I had chooks (chickens in your language haha) and planned on fattening them up to eat..while collecting their eggs in the meantime so never did name them. Then someone gave me a rooster which I did name...Mr Hannigan from Rooster Hannigan in Annie and that was the end of any plans I had to eat them. Eventually foxes ate them instead. Even Mr Hannigan was taken and....I was devestated.

Everything i could think of...has already been said above.
Its not an easy task to convert such emotional moment to a poem..atleast its not for me. You really did well as all the time while reading...the words formed a movie in my mind & i could watch it.
Great write.

all the best and take care

This one got me. The language is very simple and almost expository, but there's this tight, tension-filled juxtaposition of ideas that makes the whole thing very wrenching. That tension, of course, comes from the presence of a well-cared-for animal that was always bound to be sold for meat. It's morally superior to alternative methods of "meat-raising," of course, but there is extra pain precisely due to that loving care.

You express this tension in several places. The balancing of a bright, playful "magic marker" with "slaughter house" in the next line is jarring and effective. Your third stanza does it again, where you mix in "marbled meat" with other ministrations.

And, ok, the Disney-raised part of me made me tear up when the sheep is looking for your daughter. GAH! I needed to comment on this, if for no other reason than that it made me so emotional.

Weekly Contest, Judge comment:

Twice since last week, Larry has turned up in the mix of contest nominees and twice he's given me reason to read your entire collection here on PnQ. This was amazing.

The first half of the poem was intriguing to me - I've never grown up around livestock. You did well to write the poem this way.

You described the atmosphere/scenario so well in terms of what was going on in the 'real' world. There's more, though! This heartfelt little side story connecting your daughter to the animal, which turns out to be the real story in the end.

The contrast between the reality of what you're having carried out versus the importance of the relationship between Jess and the sheep is phenomenal. Like a perfect black and white balance - incredibly rough, but with so much tender emotion tucked underneath.

Congratulations on having written such a great poem

I enjoyed this one