I had lost the key of my heart.

Today, I found it in the woods dense.

I unlock my heart.

As soon as I unlock my heart,

Some intense feelings

Come cascading down.

 

I have always been spellbound

By nature’s beauty

And the beauty of animals.

When I see cattle grazing in open pastures,

Eating blades of grass green,

I find it a refreshingly unique sight.

Words like ‘freedom’, ‘food for all’, live and let live’

Flash to my mind raising hope

For a breakthrough in tackling non-violence.

 

I am not a meat eater,

Nor do I have anything against meat eaters,

And yet, if we stopped the killing of animals,

The quality of our thoughts and actions

Would have improved, evoking empathy and love.

 

I cannot bear to see animals succumbing

To the injuries inflicted by man.

When I look at the listless eyes

In cavernous sockets of butchers,

And the sharp blades of their knives,

My puny inexhaustible voice is choked,

My feelings frayed and torn,

My eyes sore, spirits drooping

And the pins of pang sting my heart.

 

I think of the sea of milk,

The mountains of cheese,

The frozen lakes of butter,

The rivers of buttermilk,

The hills of cottage cheese,

All so important to sustain life,

On this beautiful planet earth.

 

Pramila Khadun