Poem by Joel, written 10/23/17
Does it matter? Do we care
About that turkey lying there
Oven roasted and golden brown
Stuffed and dressed in festive gown?
As we prepare to sit and celebrate
Should we not properly contemplate
How this turkey had a life
Before being placed on fork and knife?
Did this creature live in one big crowd
Or dance in pasture under fluffy cloud?
Did he breathe in daily fecal pall?
Does any of this matter, at all?
Do we desecrate this sacred sacrifice
If the turkey’s life was nothing nice,
If its lungs were filled with fecal soup
And it lived all day in its dreadful poop?
Did this turkey ever see the sun rise,
Scratch the grass, or chase down flies?
Long before he gave his life for us,
Did we care, or is that too much fuss?
What about his chance to express turkiness,
Experience joy, discovery, and happiness?
Or was it just one dull crowded feathery mass,
No sun, no bugs, no worms, no grass.
How do you feel now, staring down
At that turkey, golden brown?
Does his life before the festive platter
Actually, truly, really matter?
If he’s just an inanimate machine,
A pile of protoplasmic protein,
Then it surely doesn’t matter
What occurred before the platter.
Food is more than stuff and treat;
It’s always life before we eat.
How we sacrifice for each other
Is the mark of a true brother.
So the turkey’s life before the table
Clears our conscience, makes us able
To morally appreciate, to celebrate
This turkey’s final abbreviate.
Does it matter? Do we care
About that turkey lying there?
The moral point is we must
Before we, ourselves, return to dust.