They would have us be cattle
They would have us be cattle
to be bred, yoked, and slaughtered
as best suits their desires
to be fatted and left in pasture
for some time in the future
when they might have need for us
to be poked, prodded, and driven
from this pasture to that, to the feedlots
to the market, to the slaughterhouse,
to be incensed by the red cape
and so enraged charge in anger,
but rather than gore those who incite us
instead gore another of our own
to receive our silage and then be milked,
being tricked into thinking we are sustaining our own
when in fact we are merely sustaining theirs,
and every day be forced to be suckled by them
to be yoked behind the plow
made to walk the field, turn, and repeat
to do work that does not benefit us,
to be a beast of burden all our days
to be bred at their discretion
to be told how many, when, and of what type
to give over our offspring to them, and so
be raised to only know pens and fences
to be experimented upon
to find the best breed, feed, and creed
that makes us the most useful cattle to them
and if no use or result, to be casually discarded
and perhaps the greatest trick of all:
to lead others in the herd from pasture to pasture
thinking we are doing well helping guide others right
when we’re only serving to make ourselves better cattle
all of this, constituting us to be a lower order of beings
that they can condescendingly look down upon
and have mastery over, feel control over, empowered,
so they can continue playing god, and most importantly
so they can continue their self delusion that they are gods