Shark Fin Soup

Shark fin soup? Oh, what a treat,
That’s what diners are told
But if they knew the truth of it
Their blood would all run cold

First the shark is baited
And a hook speared through its lips
Helpless now, it can’t escape
And gets hit with clubs and whips

Hauled up on the boat now
Gasping for its breath
Unaware of the fate that awaits -
A fate that’s worse than death

Held down on the deck now
Trapped by a net of mesh
As knives with sharpened edges
Carve deep into its flesh

No anaesthetic for this poor shark
Nothing to numb the pain
Just blinding, searing agony
And all for monetary gain

Its fins sliced off while still alive
Just to make a bowl of soup
And its tail for added flavour ~
“Would you like another scoop?”

“It’s a delicacy, you know, Sir,
Served only to the best
You really should have a taste, Sir
And add lemon for some zest,”

The shark no longer needed
Was tossed back in the sea
Without its fins and tail
So could never again swim free

There is an outcry if a shark
should kill a human being
But millions of sharks are killed each year
And have no chance of fleeing

All for a bowl of soup, my friends
That’s said to be a treat
Served up to some diners
Who think themselves elite

But the truly elite among us
Are those with love and care
Who treat with kind compassion
Life’s creatures everywhere

© Carol Pool
www.thepoemlady.blogspot.com
www.thepoemlady.co.uk

A Plea From The Badgers

I’m just a voiceless badger -
Will someone speak for me?
Will someone tell the people
Killing me won’t stop TB?

It’s hard enough staying alive
Crossing your concrete rivers
With speeding, screaming monsters
That quite give me the shivers

Those horrible big metal things,
Cause a lot of badgers’ deaths
We crawl to the nearest ditches
With our last agonising breaths

Our families try to find us
When we fail to return home
That’s when our babies die hungry
‘cos they’re left to fend alone

Then there are those wicked men
Who really have no hearts
They love to hunt us with their dogs
And cheer as we’re ripped apart

Others kill us for our hair
They say it makes a good brush
For shaving or for makeup
They say it’s really plush

Is there really nothing else
That they could use instead?
Then they wouldn’t snare or gas us
Or shoot us in the head

Now you want to kill us all
‘cos you say we’re to blame
You say that it’s our fault
Your cows are sick and lame

Maybe when we’re dead and gone
You’ll realise your mistake
But then for us it’ll be too late
So wake up, for goodness sake

Wake up to what you’re doing
Think about the cost
Not just in terms of money
But of things that could be lost

You’re wiping out Earth’s resources
Because of all your greed
Tell me, what is the reason
Why you take more than you need?

It seems to me you’ve lost your way
And you’ve forgotten what to do
To nurture the land and plants and things
So it provides for ALL of you

Good farmers know to work the land
And rest it between crops
To give it proper nutrients
For better products in your shops

Good farmers don’t use poisons
That kill the birds and bees
Infect the entire food chain
Causing trails of disease

Good farmers use quality food
To keep their animals well
And keep them in good conditions
That aren’t a living hell

Remember that old saying
As you sow, then so you reap?
Well, now’s your chance to make a change
And stop treating life as cheap

Start living kindly on the land
And treating all with care
People, animals and the like
And remember too, to share

Be the change you want to see
Give your children a better Earth
Stop polluting the planet
Or we’ll all be sick from birth

I speak for creatures everywhere
Not just badgers, wildlife and birds
But animals in farms and zoos
Whose voices can’t be heard

If you could understand us
This is what we’d to say,
Remember we have feelings too
So please treat us well each day
© Carol Pool October 2007