The Pheasant, Wizard Award Winner Options

[Guest_Nina_*]

James

You are most welcome

Nina

[Guest_Jox_*]

Hi John and Fran,

Thank you both for commenting. I thought the poem was one of my most obvious ones but since you kindly ask...

This is surrealism, unfortunately. Oh that it were reality! OK, if I’ve not been obvious enough, here’s part of my personal credo - not religious in a godly sense (of course) but part of my personal "religion", I suppose, Views I hold very deeply, anyway and I didn’t intend to express much, except via fiction. However...

I'm not against killing animals for food. Indeed, shooting is probably the most humane way and the birds do have an almost free life prior to being murdered. Much, much  better than say, battery farming and equally better than abattoirs. Humans need to eat and can be the kindest killers in the animal world. No argument from me there (although some of my socialist veggie friends would, most certainly argue).

However, I live in an area where pheasants are bred, loosed and shot for sport. Many are subsequently eaten but that is not the prime purpose of the Brits and foreign visitors who pay up to £1,000 for their day’s sport.

Now, I think people who kill for sport should, themselves, face similar murder. Why not? I would love to see pheasants take arms and attack-back. Why should humans simply take pleasure by wrecking others’ lives - even if the others are birds. The shooting (if not for food) is wanton murder. We try to kill foxes for coming in and murdering chickens without cause - why should we be exempt?

The UK is currently in the process of fox and stag-hunting bans - will take another year unless by any chance, Labour lose the 2005 election and the shooting Tories win. I see no reason (and I have written work about this in the past - though I didn’t think them good enough to post) fox hunters, themselves should not be hunted down and torn apart like we do to poor foxes (which is far worse than shooting pheasants). I don’t agree with the animal welfare protestors that “Meat is Murder” - well, it is but legitimate for feeding ourselves. But the opportunities for sport are endless, so why make the animals suffer for our sadistic pleasure?

Here’s the end-lines from an unfinished piece - which I may be tempted to work on now... (I know it needs a lot, it has been abandoned for two years, so not for crit - just to show my views).

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No! I trip and fall to the ground. Suddenly I realise that the dogs and humans are upon me. I catch sight of the men's uniforms - all bright and clean; too clean - a brilliant blood red.

I struggle to right myself but the first dog is sinking his teeth into my neck. I shake my head violently. he briefly lets go. I rise to my feet but am set-upon by another dog and then another and then they all join in. I feel one tear at my throat but after a feeling  like a cut I feel no more. My head is jerked round and I see that dogs are at each of my legs. Since I lost the feeling there quite a while ago it is like looking at someone else's legs being torn apart. There is no sensation. My mind begins to wander again. Something is happening. all the countryside has grown. The fresh coolness of Spring has turned into the burning aridness of high Summer. I think a dog is at my chest - I can feel that - or is it the hot summer sun? The season is changing again. It is Autumn. The leaves are peacefully drifting down. I an tiring. I try to stretch my legs but something is stopping them - Oh, yes, I think it must be the dogs. The pace of the changing seasons is accelerating again. It is Winter now. the snow is falling and cold is descending. I look for somewhere to sleep. this seems as good a place as any. I will sleep here while I wait for my Spring to return - I wonder if it'll be as good as the last?

I seem to hear some distant words. I think the man in red said "Foxes are vermin you know," and the man in black reply "so are Jews". I must be imagining things.
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So, yes, I equate killing for sport with fascism. An elitist sorting of World-order based on malicious prejudice - in this case that humans are more important than animals. Why are we? Only because we think we are. Ask the pheasants (peasants) - I doubt they’d agree. Ah but they can’t speak human, can they - or was it because the Jews might have big noses? All inferior. We obviously have the right to kill them all. Human life is so much more important. Why? Oh, because humans say so. Must be true, then. (Of course, we’ll re-define what is human some times to suite the political conditions, too).

Makes the RC church look holy in comparison - see, despite many people thinking I hate Catholics (100% untrue) or Catholicism (untrue) or the RC Church (blame them, more than hate them), none of them are my top-target. What is? Simple - our species: Humans, me included. We‘re the ones who cause most of the misery and havoc on Earth - via so many ways.

That’s why I wrote the poem.

Thanks for asking, all the best, James.