The Cost of an Omelet
By Bernie Jones
An Animal Rights Poem from All-Creatures.org

All of God's creatures have rights, a fact that most people don't seem to recognize. This includes both human and non-human animals, but not all of them can speak for themselves.

The Cost of an Omelet
By Bernie Jones

Eggs, milk and cheese, no animal is hurt 
That is what I used to think 
I would never eat meat, but I'll have a cheese omelette 
And a big glass of cold milk to drink 
Omelette's are great, no cruelty involved 
Cruelty? I won't take the blame! 
I'm doing my bit and I feel nice and smug 
Bernie the veggie's my name!

Then one day... 
I was surfing the net, can't remember quite why 
It must have been 'my time' to learn 
What's this? By-products? Calves? Chicks? 
My stomach had started to churn 
The male chicks are useless so are crushed, gassed or shredded 
Male calves are disposed of at birth 
So I can have milk, cheese and eggs for my tea 
I never knew of such cruelty on earth

So finally I had gotten to the truth, to the facts 
It's not only meat that is cruel 
When animals are 'used', pain's an inevitable cost 
I can't believe I have been such a fool 
Even if ONE calf or chick dies in pain 
It would be one too many I fear 
But it's not one or two, but millions of lives 
being taken for us every year 
I've since become vegan, I've realised the cost, 
of an omelette is just much too dear.

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