The happy little bovine

wears a crooked, little grin

To tell her little story

I'm not sure where to begin

Do I tell of Old McDonald

on his happy little farm?

How he loves the animals

and keeps them free from harm?

How about the little Dairy

on the California coast?

The cows sing in commercials

'cause they like it there the most.

Their milk is so much better

all they want to do is please

Want to thrill your taste buds?

You should try their cheddar cheese!

Its a marvelous delusion

propaganda, fantasy

The real telling of the story

includes pain and misery

Old McDonald has a farm

more like a prison block

And on his farm he has some cows

that work around the clock

No grazing in the pastures

they are locked inside of stalls

The feed is full of steroids

and they die behind those walls

No singing in commercials

just a soft lowing lament

And our communal deafness

is what greed often foments

In our lust for cooking flesh

we ignore the inhumane

Convinced by the singing cows

are we really that insane?

Is the little bovine happy?

That is for you to decide

Through denial we engage

In our own slow suicide

Copyright ©2009 Anthony Hall