The Stupid Cow

She follows untethered
not heeding the passing signs
even the distant shape of the abattoir
that loom like a black hole
in an otherwise pleasant blue sky
goes unnoticed by her happy eyes

Oblivious she follows the fools
that lead in a long line
ordered and numbered so that
the meat can be cleaved from the bone
with greater ease
and swallowed raw
with a pinch of salt to lessen the taste

Watching the fate of those in before
the Happy Cow waits in line
humming to herself a familiar tune
but not raising any protest
how the butchers laugh as they kill her
too late the panic in her eyes and the
scream frozen in her cut throat