(Graphic Artist Unknown)
SIDELINE INNOCENCE
As he took in the wasteland of the
Nothingness
that remained of what
Once was
the thriving, living, breathing, sentient
Earth
The human child whispered,
“All that is left
is me and you.”
But the human-facsimile of
a living Bear
was incapable
of response.
~~~
~ Gerean Pflug for The Animal Spirits
~~~
TO KILL A WHALE
by Gerean Pflug
~~~
Diesel powered ships
fueled by money, greed
and humans paid to crew
hunger to kill for pay
mega sized pointy spears
of monolith resistant steel
built-in hooks with jagged edges
spools of ropes and cording
explosive penthrite-tipped
cannon powered violent action
heartless slaughter intended
body piercing harpoon style
into ideal depth of the flesh
nylon cords extend
tight and quick is what it takes
to pull the pin of delivery
grenade ladened weaponry
detonation of their payload
obliteration of the body
agonizing screams of pain
desperate thrashing
a futile fight to survive
the slow death lasts
up to a half hour or more
while hanging on to threads of life
the shots and injuries continue
empathy non existent
compassion withheld
at last the lower jaw relaxes
flippers cease to paddle
active motion slows
flotation no longer possible
the sink begins
once innocent, sentient, living beings
majestic royalty of the seas of an entire planet
now spirits passed on to the ‘nother places
lifeless, nameless, mammoth bodies
hauled by ropes
attached to arms of men
through life blood thickened waters
ultimate bounty is declared
liquid assets pending
cash prizes collected
goods liquidated
to meat markets hidden
behind signs that proclaim
“It is finished.”
in the name of scientific research.
~~~~~
Written by: Gerean Pflug for The Animal Spirits, all rights reserved
Copy permitted with a link back to this page.
~~~~
Japanese whaling ships
under the guise of scientific research
slaughter hundreds upon hundreds of endangered whales each year.
They kill the planet’s wildlife in protected whale sanctuaries.
This is not only illegal, it is immoral.
The suffering inflicted upon the whales is unspeakable.
They feel.
They suffer.
We suffer as equals.
Blessings on those who out of empathy and compassion
give voice to living beings who cannot speak for themselves.
Blessings on International Heroes:
Captain Paul Watson,
the crew and volunteers of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
and every individual of the international community
who take action in support of their work.
~~~~~
NOTE: The above writing is inspired by the work of The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Follow The Sea Shepherd on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/TheAnimalSpirits?ref=hl#!/seashepherdconservationsociety?fref=ts
Additional Resource: “The Inner Lives of Whales” ~ Society for the Advancement of Animal Wellbeing
Poet writes and influences empathy for living beings who cannot speak for themselves. All of have gifts that can be used in powerful ways. Thank you to all of the bloggers on WordPress for their acts of compassion. ~Gerean Pflug for The Animal Spirits
I had seen you on television where you were easily ignored but here you breathe twenty feet from me black as coal with the same potential to burn from the set of shoulders like cannonballs through massive chest articulate fingers that could crack bone and cup infants What is this majestic not primitive not natural It is your connectedness the roots and trunks dawns and calls are you and you them undivided Then I see written in the depthless sadness of your eyes the bars are not to protect me A response to Susan's prompt.
Almost certainly I should edit this for the hackneyed bits – but heck – critical feedback welcome.
OUTSIDE OF THE BOX
Hands of men viciously tear her from her mother’s loving care
a wooden box their choice of containment of a tiny baby bear.
This story is told in honor of those who work to send the heroes there
and with hopes of raising consciousness of mankind everywhere
*
Stuffed roughly and mercilessly
inside of the box
in which she does not fit
she screams, she begs, she cries out
to her mother who paces
frantically, helplessly, hysterically
from behind the fence between them
she cannot reach nor save her baby
all pleas of mercy ignored
grace withheld
resistance futile
desperate claws
arms reaching out
hands of men,
ruthlessly
force the ultimate submission
carelessly inflicting pain
overpowered – letting go
heavy lid sealed down upon her
into the darkness
of only sounds
of her mother’s desperate protests
of hammering of nails above her head
and the heartbreaking clinkity-clink
of a handful of coins
her freedom in trade of
profit from animal trade.
*
Next light finds her
caged
all alone(ly)
her only company
staring human animals
who gain for the price
of a cup of coffee
a few minutes
of moderate curious satisfaction
at the cost of
her ‘unbearable’ loss.
*
In the pit of sadness
hope diminishing increasingly
she begins the gradual acceptance
of what is
as abused and captive
animal spirits
usually do
succumbing to indifferent emptiness
of the imprisoned reality inflicted
at the hands of men
*
Weeks pass
the sun grows hot
and just as the last bits of
her memory of freedom begin to wilt
a change fills the air when
riding upon white horses
of metal and roaring of sound
throngs of angels arrive
attached to
hands of men
reaching out to save her
gently,
protectively,
capably
lifting her from hell
and with loving whispers deliver her
into the promised land
of grapes and bread soaked in honey
to a place of space and care
absent forever from cruelty
to roam where peace abounds
a lifetime warrantee
(and a swimming pond)
man’s gift to her
a second chance at life
outside of the box.
~~~
Live Long Nastia!
Author: Gerean Pflug, The Animal Spirits, 11/28/2012
All rights reserved. Copy permitted only with link back to this page.
~~~
NOTE: The above prose is dedicated to Nastia and was written to generate empathy and to honor the super heroes: Dr. Amir Khalil & Helmut Dungler, CEO of FOUR PAWS, UK, as well as the hundreds of staff members, volunteers and donors who actively protect the welfare of our precious wildlife. Special thanks to French animal welfare organization “30 Millions d’Amis” for the role they played in protecting Baby Nastia. Blessings on the heads and hands of brave and noble men about the work of setting a standard of honorable leadership through the rightness of empathy, compassion and a dedication to preserve the dignity of The Animal Spirits.
Thank you, Gerean Pflug
~~~
THE STORY OF NASTIA THE BABY BEAR- VIDEO
~~~
Read the article, published today, 11/28/2012, by Four Paws, UK at:
http://www.four-paws.org.uk/uk/en/projects/bears/bears-in-ukraine/nastia-arrives-at-new-home/
*
WHO IS PAYING FOR ALL OF THIS?
THE COSTS INVOLVED:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SUPPORT THE WORK OF FOUR PAWS UK:
FOUR PAWS UK WEBSITE http://www.four-paws.org.uk/
FOLLOW FOUR PAWS ON FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/FourPawsUK
Baby Circus Elephant in “Training”
THE PRICE OF A CIRCUS SEAT
Dragged, kicking and screaming
to the circus we go
we once walked proudly,
freely for miles and miles each day
with our families
to whom we bond deeply
babies spending their entire lives
by the sides of loving mothers
we long for this life
that will never again be
for we are now
captive entertainers
circus elephants are we.
*
Our tiny baby elies
are torn from us
and forced
in the most inhumane ways imaginable
to be broken
beginning with the breaking of our bodies
followed by the breaking of our spirits
our terror is ignored
as our legs are bound
we are stretched out
slammed to the ground
gouged with bull-hooks
and shocked with electric prods
we cry, scream out
and struggle desperately to remain upright
looking deeply into the eyes of our tormentors
searching
for a compassionate face that might save us
the response is . . .
increased human anger
brutal force
of us into the painful positions necessary
to perform circus tricks.
*
Away from public eye
and carefully insured to be unmonitored
by those who may protect us,
we are shocked
and whipped
and beaten severely
with sticks, and canes and bats
about our heads, and legs, and ears and chins,
before we step upon your stage
lest we dare to forget
who is boss.
*
Intolerant of our fear, our terror
our overwhelming anxiety
we are stabbed with sharp objects
rammed violently and intentionally
into our delicate, tender places around our ears
reminding us that there will be no expression
of natural feeling or emotion
accepted here.
*
Late at night the circus spotlights dim
the music, loudspeakers, claps and cheers fall silent
costumes and makeup removed
the sea of human faces in the crowd
have long disappeared
and while you rest
we are
moved into compartments
extremely cramped spaces
arena basements
flimsy stalls
and box cars
the chains appear
heavy shackles forced upon our tired, aching legs
and then . . .
we wait
standing anchored to one spot
for seemingly endless hours
unable to move
hardly more than a step
devoid of stimulation
standing in our own excrement
swaying neurotically
no other choice for us
than to accept this life we did not choose
or be put down without dignity.
*
Of course there is an upside
for when the ‘mourning’ comes
more tickets will be sold
at fifteen to fifty bucks a pop
justifying our existence and noble purpose;
Our majestic lives in trade
for the price of a circus seat.
*
by Gerean Pflug for “The Animal Spirits”
November 26, 2012
*
(Reconstructed & Rewritten by influence of the PETA Video “Boycott Circuses That Use Elephants”
Alec Baldwin, Spokesperson, Video Link Below)
PETA VIDEO – BOYCOTT CIRCUSES THAT USE ANIMALS LINK
Find out what PETA is doing: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
*
The Dutch government has announced their ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.
Greece and Bolivia have banned the use of animals in circuses!
The UK is in process of banning the use of wild animals in circuses!
What on earth is the United States thinking by allowing this travesty to continue?
*
The amount of pain and suffering, both physically and emotionally, that circus animals are put through to entertain human adults and the children for even one minute, is a crime. We can better serve our children and our children’s children at a compassionate and enlightened level, by boycotting circuses that use and abuse our world’s wildlife.
*
The ticket price of $15.00 – $50.00 per person, multiplied by the thousands/millions that attend circuses and are entertained at the cost of the animals, can be regenerated to assist in preserving animals in their natural habitats, supporting those who create natural habitats for our wildlife, providing funds and supplies to those working in animal rehabilitation, to those who protect our wildlife from illegal poaching or to wildlife orphanages that care for babies whose families have been needlessly murdered for the profit in ivory and other body parts.
*
What better way to raise our children in consciousness, than to educate them to respect, promote and protect our planet and all life that dwells here with us?
YOU CAN HELP
IN THE INTEREST OF FAIRNESS
It appears that man”kind”
is more the problem
than the solution
to the ever increasing loss of rain forests,
the polar ice caps
our polluted oceans, rivers and streams,
and the disappearance of the majestic species of the animal kingdom.
I wonder . . .
if nonhuman animals were in charge of the thinning out
of grossly-over-populated man”kind,”
who is the criminally-careless destroyer
of this earth
how would they choose to handle the “inconvenient situation” ?
would they club us to death,
indiscriminantly kill the mother’s of nursing babies,
destroy our communities, drive us from our homes
take away our food so that we simply died of starvation
or perhaps set iron traps that broke our bones,
leaving us there in terror and overwhelming pain
to either die alone
or to be fed upon by another species.
Or would they scare us in mass groups
so that in a desperate act of survival,
we ran together into large nets
left to die in mass prisons.
We might be excellent specimens
in a laboratory
for understanding the effects
of greed and indifference
on all of creation
Perhaps they would kill us just for the fun of it,
once dead, in ridiculous pose, sit upon our backs
and have their photos taken of the grizzly prize
awaiting pending posting
to their Facebook pages.
I don’t think so.
The Animal Spirits
live at a much higher level
of consciousness
than this.
~Gerean Pflug for The Animal Spirits
~~~
Author: Gerean Pflug, 11/25/2012 ~ All rights reserved.
Copy permitted along with a link back to this page.
~~~
“The songs of their escorts
Filter through the water,
The element of baptism,
In which the whale calf is to be
perennially immersed.
Should anything untimely happen to it,
Its mother will support her calf
upon her back
Until it disintegrates.”
Excerpt from WHALE NATION –Heathcote Williams
THE ANIMAL SPIRITS 