30 responses to “Towards the slaughterhouse we went”

1. Reblogged this on stgreenie.

2. Very somber but ever so powerful. Nicely done!

3. I must confess, it hurts me to think of this though I’m not vegan. The Native American tribes used to pray to their prey before killing them, asking forgiveness and thanking them for the sacrifice. When we drove home from So. California last week, we passed so many ranches and I couldn’t help but shudder when I thought of where they would end up.

4. This one made me shudder … thinking of the sacrifice … and death on such a huge scale. Painfully, honestly written.

5. Dear Bjorn, Well, now that you said it like that I feel all bad about wearing wool, eating mutton, and having a sacrifice on my dinner table. BUT, good news, Wool irritates my skin, and I really don’t like lamb chops or any part of the sheep – which I have tried twice, the second time confirming to myself that I really like to look at live lambs! Good verse Bjorn! Nan 🙂

6. Bjorn, Good piece although dark. I’m like Nan. I have an allergy to wool and I’ve never eaten much lamb. I live in a state of India where it’s against the law to kill a cow, so haven’t had beef for some time. I don’t eat pork here because I’ve seen what the pigs eat. I do eat chicken or fish at times. 🙂 —Susan

7. Dark and with a death-march rhythm that really adds to the sentiment.

8. You must do an audio of this one! Your voice would be the perfect platform for this wonderfully dark poem. Like most of the commenters before me I am not a consumer of meat. Not a vegetarian just honestly don’t like the taste.

9. “Towards the slaughterhouse we went…” This line transcends space and time and echoes throughout our history, and I suspect will be repeated countless times in future.

10. Lovely rhythm in this. A death march – Can that be lovely? The last line has more than a punch. Alicia

11. Just makes me think of the song “Meat is Murder” by The Smiths. I think the only reason I’m not a vegetarian is denial. Well written, darling.

12. Great poem. And damn challenging! It’s not just that we eat the creatures, but the way we treat them over their short lives.

13. Poor sheep. Tasty though!
    I loved the line “We forge ahead until we’re dead” – quite a sense of futility with either acceptance or bitterness mixed in.

14. Dear Björn,

    Definitely an argument for vegetarianism. Ah well. I’m a died in wool carnivore. Nice verse.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    • That should be “dyed”

15. Dear Bjorn,

    Don’t forget the sock puppets for our children. Loved this poem. Humans will get what they deserve soon, but won’t think it was meant for them.

    Aloha,

    Doug

16. You make me feel guilty for loving lamb with mint sauce . . . although I have to say I prefer the lamb in the UK to the US. :0) Great write though and the slaughterhouse repetition is very somber..

17. Makes me feel a bit sad/guilty.

18. Excellent story!

19. Loved the audio, Bjorn. That really made it come alive. I commented once, but it didn’t take. Hopefully, this one will.

20. That why they tell you not to be a sheep.

21. i especially like the line about sunday steaks with mint. very poetic, though solemn. nicely done.

22. I gotta admit, Bjorn — you made me hungry on that. When it come to animals, I’m not a sentimentalist. I grew up in the woods with lots of predators, so I’m rather used to that. Still a good story though. I enjoyed it.

23. ouch. Puts it in perspective for my wooly slippers, glove and Winter coat.

24. Bjorn, this one stings! Great piece! It does make me think about the poor animals. I’m sure if I saw them slaughtered, I would not be able to eat them anymore.

25. Bjorn,
    I like your use of repetition in this poem. Poignant and moving.

    All my best,
    Marie Gail

26. Oh no, that’s really sad. I had to supress a little giggle at the line ‘we are your sausages to be’ though 🙂

27. The repetition works really well, and anchors in that painful ending for each of the animals. My husband and I eat very little meat these days, but even so, your verse is still dark with shadows.

28. The same could be said of so many of earth’s species…as well as the earth itself. Well spoken…in words so passionate.

29. Very strong and enough to put me off my roast lamb, were I having any. An anthem to turn the doubters vegetarian.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.