When You Kill a Plant, You Just Can't Hear It Scream

When You Kill a Plant, You Just Can't Hear It Scream


by Duke LaRance
Saturday, September 06, 2003



We sit and wait in the still darkness
Of the New Moon
The stars and planets so brilliant
And yet Mother Earth so dark
With a heavy mantle of frost
Covering everything all around

There is at least one more hour
Until there will be enough light
To make out anything on the ground
And yet we sit and wait
Not making a sound

In the darkness we hear
The cock crow of the rooster pheasant
The inane giggle of the sharptail grouse
As they fly low to the ground

It has grown even colder
Just in the past few minutes
We hear the honking of the geese
Off in the distance
We hear the whistle of mallard wings
In the air all around
And yet we sit and wait
Not making a sound

As we drink in the illusion of the false dawn
As we feel the first light
Of a new day beginning
There in the distance – see them

There in the distance
The gift of life from the Creator
Moving slowly and surely towards us
And yet we sit and wait
Not making a sound

We do not hunt for any trophy
As surely as we despise those who do
We do not hunt for any thrill
For there is none in that kill
For after that fatal shot
What we feel is a sense of relief
And sorrow
And reverence
Of that gift of life from the Creator

Your society has taken the bison from us
Yet we thank the Creator for the deer
You cannot judge us for what we do
We who have been marginalized
By your enlightened society

We who have lived in junked cars
In the periphery of your abundance
On these Golden Shores
We who have been infected
By your disease
And left to beg
For those meager scraps
From your Horn of Plenty

Go ahead – criticize
What is left of our ancient ways
Do you eat domestic meat?
From an animal bred to stand docile
While it awaits the pole-ax?
Criticize our ways
While you use animal products
Of every form

Remember this – it isn’t just my dream
When you kill a plant
You just can’t hear it scream


©2003/duke larance