Lobsters in a tank
Rubberbanded claws
Nothing to do, nowhere to go
I feel their suffering
Do you?
Bridles and crops
Collars to choke
Electric shocks
to the throat and body
These things have become normal
and are used on our
beloved pets
My soul has witnessed these things
Each time my heart is broken
A silent scream
is all I can muster
Don't they see
Don't they feel
the torture and sins
they commit?
Zoos to entertain us
Exotic animals for our children to see
And what do they see exactly-
and what do they learn?
Confinement of magnificent creatures
living out their lives
in boredom
Unnatural lives
Look into their eyes
and you will see
the suffering
the hopelessness
the despair
And then there is the scientific research
Animals are used and abused
tagged and drugged
in laboratories and in the wild
I cannot even allow myself
to imagine
what goes on there
Experiments and trials
More suffering and pain
The holocaust has not ended
but the victims
now have fur
Circuses and rodeos
Pet shops and dog shows
Horse racing
Horse wrangling
Breaking a horse
Breaking it's spirit
Fixing a dog
Neutering your cat
De-clawing
Docking tails
Burning horns
Branding skin
Castrating
Controlling
Selling and Possessing
Animals as property
Animals as slaves
Animals as trophies
Factory farms and fur coats
Slaughterhouses
Slaughterhouses
Slaughterhouses
How did we get like this-
so cruel
so callous
so cold
We are intellectual monsters
justifying these deeds
and losing our souls
in the process
Caging birds who were born to fly
Keeping fish and whales
in aquariums
the size of bathtubs
Taking their freedom
Taking their balls
Taking away their sexuality
and joy of life
No one thinks it is wrong
except a few
If I wince, they laugh
If I question, they defend
What rights do animals have?
My soul can answer this
Animals have the right to live freely
Animals have the right to procreate
Animals have the right to be with their own kind
Animals have the right to have access to Mother Earth
Animals have the right to live in their native environment
Animals have the right to protect themselves
Animals have the right to not be enslaved, tortured or abused by humans
These are God given rights
Anyone who professes
that reason dictates otherwise
goes against our Creator
and violates spiritual law
Will we continue to disgrace ourselves
by harming our fellow creatures?
What words can I use
to penetrate your souls
and open your hearts
to the truth
Animals are precious
They are our brothers and sisters
Our teachers
and healers
They deserve our respect
Our love
and devotion
We can transform this world
of cruelty and suffering
Let it begin with you and me
Let us ask for God's help
and forgiveness
Lift us up from the darkness
Let the woundedness fall away
Shine light on our relationship
with animals
Help us be the stewards
we were meant to be
By Julie Longhill
the world belongs to animals and all living creatures all fit together in perfect working harmony only humans are alien to nature in all that we have become but still we can change return to what we once were if only we choose to before its too late for our species xxxxxxxxxxxxx