When I hold my dog’s paw, for a second too long,
He pulls away from me, something feels wrong
If he had a voice, he would surely say
“I’ve had enough of that, please, for one day.”
Even though the act was causing no pain
It irritates him “Please don’t do that again”
So I stop it at once, because I love him
As a pig is trapped in the farrowing crate
With no room to move, a sorry state
If she had a voice she would surely shout
“I need to be free, please LET ME OUT!”
Nothing to stimulate her agile brain
Only room in that pen to go slowly insane.
But we don’t listen, because money is more important
As the calf is taken away, at one day old
To go straight to slaughter, or market to be sold
If the mother had a voice she would surely cry
“Bring back my baby, without her I’ll die”
She bellows for their young, grieves for a time
But because cows can’t speak, it’s the perfect crime,
And we ignore her pain, because we want her milk
As the lamb goes to die, so little time on this earth
Left out in the cold, from her moment of birth
If that lamb had a voice, she would surely say
“Please do not kill me, I don’t want to die today!!!”
No being wants to die, all life clings to life
All sentient beings will flee from the knife
Too bad little lamb, we want our meat.
As a monkey is strapped to the torture machine
Bolts coming from her brain, looking totally obscene
If that life had a voice, she would surely scream
“Please, someone wake me from this horrible dream!”
She’s never caused harm from the day she saw life
Never known happiness, bred simply to die
Sorry little monkey, WE are more important
All of these creatures, bred only to die
Though because they are hidden, we don’t know their plight
If they all had a voice, they would in unison say
“Why do you want us to suffer this way?”
If people had compassion it wouldn’t take long to see
That all life, like us, only wants to be free
If only animals had a voice.
-Bernie Jones