It Wasn’t Humane to Start With

I looked up the word “humane”

in your dictionary and, holy shit, 

you are not going to believe

how wonderful it sounds

“Marked by compassion,

sympathy, or consideration”

Synonyms include benevolent,

kind, and good-hearted

I, for one, would not

want to miss this

Nor, I’m sure, would you 

(even as a human)

want to miss out

on all of this kind, 

sympathetic treatment

Take my place, just for a moment,

so you can bask in the humanity

And please, dear human, enlighten me

If it were you on the slaughter line,

which methods would you

consider most humane?

Would you choose 

a bolt gun to the head

before your body is cut apart

or is low-grade electrocution

more your style?

Do you prefer being hung by your legs or

would warm tenderness be more evident

if you were raised by your arms?

Picture how kindheartedly

they will take from you your baby

The gentleness of your castration 

might bring a tear of joy to your eye

Just imagine how much mercy

they will show when they 

slit your throat

Envision the compassion

with which they will steal

your final breath

Oh, the countless ways

you can benevolently

slaughter a human

If not the synonyms

of the word humane,

but the antonyms come to mind

as you put yourself in our place,

then maybe, just maybe,

it wasn’t humane to start with

Written March 18, 2019