The Pecking Order
By Viola Ransel
An Animal Rights Poem from All-Creatures.org

All of God's creatures have rights, a fact that most people don't seem to recognize. This includes both human and non-human animals, but not all of them can speak for themselves.

The Pecking Order
By Viola Ransel

Pick
a distinguishing
characteristic
like————–Black.
Almond eyes. Foreign
accent. Begin to attack.

Label them “other”,
not people at all.
Ignore them. Abhor
them. Push them to the wall.

The more
differences they
have, the lower their
worth. Heaven help
them if covered with
scales, feathers or fur.

Because the more
visible the difference, the
worse off they’ll be. That’s
segregation, designation
to “le caste poverty”.

It’s about having your
cake and eating everyone
else’s, too. The Perpetrators
of Poverty have their
eyes on you!

But you’re not worried
’cause your difference can’t
be seen from afar. Vell,
dollink, zey haff vays to
tell you apart. Remember
those armbands with six-
pointed stars and get up off
your ass before it gets that far!

Return to: Animal Rights Poetry