Sunday, June 17, 2007

Interesting poem "Call Me By My True Names"

interesting poem frm TheDailyEnlightenment.com :)


The last time you ordered me for dinner, you forgot my true name.

I am not some wonton.
Please call me by my true name -I am "Pig".
I wish you saw how lovable I was.
You might have given me a personal name too.
Please remember I was killed unhappily,
even as you eat me happily.
For I loved my life, just as you love yours.

I am not some nugget.
Please call me by my true name -I am "Chicken".
I wish you saw how lovable I was.
You might have given me a personal name too.
Please remember I was killed unhappily,
even as you eat me happily.
For I loved my life, just as you love yours.

I am not some burger.
Please call me by my true name -I am "Cow".
I wish you saw how lovable I was.
You might have given me a personal name too.
Please remember I was killed unhappily,
even as you eat me happily.
For I loved my life, just as you love yours.

I am not some fillet.
Please call me by my true name -I am "Fish".
I wish you saw how lovable I was.
You might have given me a personal name too.
Please remember I was killed unhappily,
even as you eat me happily.
For I loved my life, just as you love yours.

I am not some foie gras.
Please call me by my true name -I am "Goose".
I wish you saw how lovable I was.
You might have given me a personal name too.
Please remember I was killed unhappily,
even as you eat me happily.
For I loved my life, just as you love yours.

Before you order me for dinner next time, please remember my true name.


Afterword: I try to make it a point to call “meat” as “animals” - even when talking to meat-eaters. This might seem discourteous, but it is the final courtesy for the animals. I hope they honour meat as deceased sentient beings; not as products taken for granted. It's my hope that if they remember their meats' many true names, they will eventually honour these animals the more honourable way - by refraining from demanding their flesh - by celebrating their life, by not celebrating with their deaths. -Shen Shi'an

Posted by *Mu| and ChAng* at 1:53 AM