Man’s desire to cause another pain
remains an enigma I can not explain.
Torturing the helpless and being amused
is an enigma that leaves me confused.

We take our kids to the circus and zoo,
but they both portray a distorted view.
If the truth was told, children would be enraged
at creatures whipped and beaten, confined and caged.

Circus animals do not volunteer.
Their acts and tricks are learned through fear.
Laboratory animals are lethally injected.
How can their lives be so disrespected?

Each year, millions of pets are put to death,
while breeders steal a living dog’s breath.
Companion animals live on death row,
while people are pretending not to know.

Fur bearing animals are grossly abused.
In trapping for fur, brutal methods are used.
A fur coat’s true owner will agonize
for this status symbol and coveted prize.

My mind, heart, and soul will never know
how some are amused by a rodeo.
How can human beings be entertained
by an act where such terror is sustained?

A deep sense of sadness in me, is struck
by those who would force a steer to buck,
giving the appearance that it is fierce
by using straps that tightly pinch and pierce.

How can we be entertained by those
whose misery, we humans, impose?
Irreverence for an animal friend
is an enigma I can't comprehend.

By M. Butterflies Katz, Gentle World. From her website http://www.veganpoet.com.