milk
we switch from our mother’s milk to another
mother’s milk. we consume opioids called
casomorphins, desperate for more of our drug
without knowing what we are drinking.
men with elbow-length lubricated gloves hold
the females still on “rape racks.” the men inject
bull semen into the cervix, hoping the process
is without fight. this is just nature being nature.
we shop in stores, browse shelves containing
smiling animals on prettily packaged cartons.
we see calcium and recall childhood tastes,
oblivious to the carefully concealed origins of it all.
post-birth, calf is taken from cow within hours.
both bellow, a mix of panic and longing that rings
hauntingly through the next nights. the calves
will get milk replacer, maybe milk if they are lucky.
this milk is made for calves but taken for humans
who believe in the mustache campaigns
and skewed health studies funded by lobbies
that care of mothers only as means to make money.
these mothers develop mastitis from over-milking,
are impregnated every 10 months and then milked
until they cannot be anymore. until they fall face
down and get dragged out, become a “downer”
who will be shoved on a truck and sold for flesh,
killed 15 years before her lifespan. all so we
can pay for the same fate for her baby and her baby–
to give us all of what they have in return for nothing.
Amanda Conover is a queer poet based in Peoria, IL who often engages with themes of existentialism, spirituality, and social issues. She is the poetry editor for Carolina Muse Literary & Arts Magazine and a recent MFA alum who works in scholarly publishing. Her poetry has been published in Atlanta Review, the lickety~split, Sad Girl Diaries, and elsewhere. Find her at amandaconover.com.
Like many aspects of animal agriculture, dairy is an industry that the public knows very little about. For me, discovering the inherent and unnecessary suffering that permeates all facets of dairy blindsided me as a teenager. I vowed to go vegan overnight after seeing footage of what’s described in this piece. As consumers, we have the power to shift away from outdated, unethical industries and save countless animals. I hope this poem highlights what is happening to cows and why this issue is worth fighting for.
Vegan Poetry challenges the use of non-human animals by humans. If you would like to join the community on WhatsApp, you can do so here: Vegan Poetry Community
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