Poetry by Sande Nosonowitz

“Oblivious”

            By Sande Nosonowitz

It’s too normal not to notice;

It’s too easy not to ache.

So simple not to suffer,

Too willful not to wake.

How dare we not bear witness

To the torture at our door,

To deny that we’re complicit

In the slaughter on that floor?

We yield the knife that severs life;

We stop a heart that beats;

Then go about our busy day

I mean, everybody eats.

Ah, but that’s not true, for some are starving

And die of hunger’s scourge

While men in suits and ties and boots

Throw back a few, pick up a fork & knife — and gorge.

The grain it takes to feed that steak could feed a child instead,

But that is just not how it works.  That’s just not why they’re bred.

Profit steers this dirty ship.  Our leaders jump on board

To subsidize this evil sin — just like they fund our wars.

It’s systematic cruelty.  It’s legal and endorsed.

But it’s torture and its slaughter, and we all must pay the cost.

We’re hypnotized, indoctrinated, and it’s all so god-damned scary

We wash down our compassion with a two-pint glass of dairy.

Don’t look away, don’t hide your eyes;

Their slaughter is surely hideous.

The only thing that could be worse

Is to remain oblivious.

 - Sande Nosonowitz is a master-certified vegan coach, writer and educator.  For three years, she penned a column for Living & Being Magazine (part of the USA TODAY network) called ‘Living & Being Vegan.’ Nosonowitz  recently published a new book, Oblivious: A Vegan Memoir.  This comes after her first compilation book, Living & Being Vegan: How Veganism Heals Your Body, Mind and Spirit. Her multi-media presentations, “How Veganism Heals” and “Plant-Based at Any Age,” have been enjoyed by groups at venues such as the Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital, Dutchess Community College, The Omega Institute for Holistic Studies Staff Program, The DrawDown National Environmental Program, Vassar College and Marist College Lifelong Learning Institutes. Nosonowitz is a co-founder of the Hudson Valley Vegfest held annually in New York State. 

Copyright©2020 by Sande Nosonowitz. All Rights Reserved.