20160221 (pseudosympathy)

while this doesn't? [Afghan children killed in
US drone attack]

Why does this rip most people's
Hearts out . . . 

(Please forgive the photos. This is a tough one.)

If you’ve been following me

On Facebook you must have

Noticed by now that I send up

A lot of images and video from

The Meta Picture and the Dodo

Each of which offers me many

Touching images of young 

Animals. Dodo especially puts

Up “saving of animals in trouble”— 

Often so horribly mistreated I

Filter them and not send them on. 

It’s not that I’ve grown any 

More maudlin in my seniority.

I’ve been weeping for animals

Cut down or tormented since I

First saw Bambi’s mom shot by

The hunters (and I had no glasses

Then, so that was all narrative).

My mom said when she tucked 

Me in for the night I was still

Teary. She regretted taking me 

To the “kids’ movie.” Still, I cannot

Shed a tear for spiders, snakes,

Lepidoptera (although beautiful

Butterflies can help me forget

Their larval caterpillariness for

A while), crustaceans, arthropoda,

(Which is not to say I won’t 

Eat them as many are delicious

Dipped in butter), lumbricus 

Terrestris (earthworms and 

Their buds),--you get the idea. 

Despite their large soulful 

Appealing brown eyes I will

Most likely continue to let

Someone else slaughter these

Lovelies so I can have steaks,

Hamburgers, pork chops and

Loins. And, yes, fish, who I

Think should be regarded as

Chickens—too dumb to know

What’s happening--Donald 

Duck notwithstanding. So

Take my bereavement with a 

Grain of Kosher or sea salt,

It’s not universal or without

Contradictions. Forget my quirks.

I'm like most people—troubled

Deeply by the suffering of

Innocents. And who are more 

Innocent than these who've

Fought their way through

The chain of life to survive?

I’ll gladly allow sharks must

Feed on virtually anything

Carrying protein in the sea

While whales feed on krill

Who have no lobbyists to

Make their case. Likely 

Some beast torments its food.

(I’m no Pollyanna). Yet 

We are commonly so more

Affected by cruelty meted

Against animals than we are

Against pain inflicted on our

Own. How can we look with

Detachment on victims shredded 

By our drones, our cluster bombs 

However rarely we see them? Is 

Each dead "enemy" child equated 

With Foley’s callous executioner,

To conclude evil has been served

Measure for measure? The hearts

Who feel so tenderly for pups 

And kittens but feel no pang 

For the innocent dead of another

Land have already died within,

Become standing ghosts.

c. J.S.Manista, 2016