When You Kill Cows, Yet Are Offended to be Perceived as a Killer

To the rancher who tagged me on his video,

Asking if his cows looked “unhappy,”

I responded,

“Show me the video of their slaughter and we’ll see”

Footage never arriving

An abuse boyfriend can always find a photo of her smile

Can always pick the moments when she doesn’t see the danger in his eyes

The times when his touch is gentle

The calms before the storm

The image conveniently framed to crop out the terror

Those moments of trust when the victim

doesn’t know your plans for their flesh

An illusion of happiness,

Easily digested

A photo of the wall

Before the fist smashes the plaster

A photo of the cow

Before the bolt smashes the brain

Before the screams

Before the blood

Before the silence we all knew was coming

Written 2022 or 2023