Poetry and Prose By Tami Hay, M.A., RMT from All-Creatures.org

Beneath Our Feet

My bare feet calmly sense the earth beneath and all things soft, damp, and alive.
Yet you stand stressed on a concrete slab, hard, cold, and prepped but not prepared for death.

My eyes see sky and beckoning poplar woods, moving in the morning breeze.
Your eyes see the contortions of your fellow beings, an eyewitness account that will never be asked for.

My face feels the sun’s healing warmth;
Yours feels only the fluorescent light above, garishly illuminating the death ahead of you.

My fingers feel the skin of my lover’s face and my arms hug my grandchildren;
Your tongue, as sensitive as any human finger, has never been allowed to lick your disappeared calf.

My creative spirit plates a nourishing meal of greens and seeds, spiced for my palate’s delight;
You, an herbivore by design, are force-fed fish and other offal while, somewhere, your calf starves in fright.

My heart feels this painful inequality
And promises that I, with the help of our growing community,
Will one day set you and your senses free.

© Tami Hay 2023

 

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