her heaven
Let her wake to a rough tongue
cherishing the length of her;
to cloud-warmth of milk and fur,
no memory of metal or blood.
Two bodies, one dream.
Little star-breath drifting through night.
"Her Heaven" is graciously made available by Francine Marie Tolf from her chapbook Like Saul (©, published by Plan B Press '08. Francine is a very gifted writer, and this poignant collection of poems artfully sheds light on the plight of a variety of animals in our modern, industrialized society.
See Farm Sanctuary for more on the miserable and curtailed existence of veal calves, which I took Francine's poem to be about. Though I just realized I must have interpreted the gender wrong of her forlorn creature, but I think the analogy still holds very true. The veal industry is in general an off-shoot of the dairy complex, which generates a constant overabundance of male calves. And while a percentage are slaughtered at only a few days old for cheap meat, the existence of the others is utterly miserable in a longer-term capacity:
Veal calves commonly live for eighteen to twenty weeks in wooden crates that are so small that they cannot turn around, stretch their legs, or even lie down comfortably. The calves are fed a liquid milk substitute, deficient in iron and fiber, which is designed to make the animals anemic, resulting in the light-colored flesh that is prized as veal (Farm Sanctuary).
Next week we'll be looking more at our consumption habits, a discussion which inevitably arises out of encounters with the reality of industrial animal farming like this. By the way, Farm Sanctuary is hosting a number of Walks for Farm Animals in the coming weeks across the US and Canada, if you'd like to be a voice on behalf of a very neglected category of God's creatures. Cheryl and I, and little Jadon, hope to join the Walk in Milwaukee on September 26th.
(images copyright Farm Sanctuary and Steve Everts/123rf.com)
Ben DeVries
Cheryl and I are in fact signed up for the Milwaukee Walk for Farm Animals. If you're interested in contributing and unable to participate yourself, please see our personal fundraising page.
Reader Comments (2)
Thanks for posting this lovely poem. And for calling attention to the sad state the dairy industry permits itself to operate in. I'm very certain if more people knew about this darker, hidden side of stolen milk and brutalized infants, they would want no part in supporting it. I know I didn't and have found a bounty of healthy (and tasty) alternatives to dairy.
Thank you for inviting comment and for all you do in helping our animal kin.
Thanks very much for your kind comment, Bea, and for the personal validation of the concern presented in the post - Ben