WHEN MOTHER NATURE GIVES UP voices from the animal kingdom

An animal voice poem confronting environmental destruction, extinction, and humanity’s impact on the natural world.

MY SPECIES IS DYING OF STARVATION

DUE TO GLOBAL WARMING

CAUSED BY HUMAN BEINGS

PERIOD

MY SPECIES 

AND MILLIONS OF OTHER SPECIES 

ARE ON THE VERGE OF EXTINCTION  

MILLIONS

YOU HAVE CUT DOWN OUR FORESTS

DEMOLISHED OUR JUNGLES 

CONTAMINATED OUR RIVERS AND STREAMS 

YOU DRILL AND FRACK—DRILL AND FRACK 

WHILE YOU DESTROY AND POLLUTE 

OUR ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM

BUT YOU STILL WON’T STOP

WHEN OUR NATURAL HABITATS 

AND FOOD SOURCES 

ARE NO MORE

WHEN WE SHOW UP IN YOUR BACKYARDS 

LOOKING FOR FOOD AND SHELTER

YOU STILL ASK YOURSELVES WHY

WHY?

YOU HAVE EMPTIED OUR OCEANS 

OF CRUSTACEANS

CORALS

AND SEA LIFE

TO STOCK THEM ON SHELVES

IN STORES

UNDER THE DISGUISE 

OF HOME DECOR

WHILE YOU PROFIT FROM US

BILLIONS OF DOLLARS A YEAR

YOU STILL HUNT US FOR SPORT

JUST FOR FUN

YOU SNEAK UP BEHIND US

WHILE WE ARE JUST LIVING 

OUR LIVES

WITH OUR FAMILY

WITH OUR FRIENDS

YOU CHEER EACH OTHER ON

SO PLEASED WITH YOURSELVES 

FOR DECAPITATING US

THEN YOU HANG OUR LIFELESS HEAD 

ON YOUR WALL

LIKE SOME PROUD ANCIENT WARRIOR

YOU CONTINUALLY POACH US

TO EXTINCTION

BECAUSE OF YOUR UNWAVERING 

GREED

WE WERE NOT PUT ON THIS EARTH 

TO CURE YOUR HEADACHES

OR TO RAISE YOUR SOCIAL STATUS

WITH OUR BONES AND HORNS

YOU SAVAGELY SKIN US

TO MAKE YOURSELF A FUR COAT—WITH OUR FUR COAT

JUST TO IMPRESS

AT YOUR FANCY PARTIES AND EVENTS

YOU RAVAGE 

OUR PRECIOUS RAINFOREST

AND RIP US 

FROM OUR HOMES

TO LABEL US

YOUR BUSHMEAT

SHIPPING TONS

UPON TONS

OF US AROUND THE WORLD

TO SHOW OFF 

YOUR DARING APPETITES

YOU TORTURE 

AND MURDER US

DAILY

ON YOUR CRUEL FACTORY FARMS

FOR OUR MEAT

MILK

EGGS

SKIN

FUR

SCALES AND FEATHERS

CONTRIBUTING TO GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS 

AND THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF WATER POLLUTION

YOU STUFF US IN CAGES

CRATES AND BARRELS

DAILY

TO SELL AT YOUR WET MARKETS—YOUR BLOODY WET MARKETS

WHILE WE ARE STILL ALIVE

SUFFERING

SUFFOCATING

SPREADING DISEASES

WITH BROKEN BONES AND ALL

YOU WIRE OUR MOUTHS SHUT—SO WE CAN’T SCREAM

YOU TIE OUR LEGS UP—SO WE CAN’T MOVE

YOU PILE US UP ON TOP OF EACH OTHER—SO WE CAN’T BREATHE

THEN YOU SMOKE US

BOIL US

BURN US

SKIN US

AND BUTCHER US ALIVE

TO SERVE YOUR EXOTIC TASTE

EVEN THOUGH YOUR EVIL WAYS ARE CAUSING DEADLY PANDEMICS 

WORLDWIDE

OVER AND OVER AGAIN

IT’S NOT THE ANIMAL KINGDOM THAT CAUSES THESE GLOBAL PANDEMICS

IT’S THE HUMAN RACE THAT CAUSES THESE GLOBAL PANDEMICS

IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU ARE WEALTHY OR POOR

WHERE YOU LIVE OR WHERE YOU COME FROM

YOUR TRADITIONS OR RELIGIONS

TO TORTURE IS EVIL 

EVIL 

HOW DOES HUMANKIND SWALLOW DOWN SO MANY TORTURED SOULS WITHOUT CHOKING?

MOTHER NATURE IS RAGING MAD

TRYING TO AWAKEN HUMANKIND

WITH HER FEROCIOUS FIRES

HURRICANES

FLOODS

AND DEADLY PANDEMICS

BUT YOU’RE NOT LISTENING TO HER

YOU DON’T WANT TO LISTEN TO HER

BECAUSE THAT WOULD MEAN YOU WOULD HAVE TO STOP

POLLUTING AND CONSUMING—POLLUTING AND CONSUMING

AND TORTURING

AND HUMANS ARE NOTHING IF NOT SELFISH AND CRUEL

THE ANIMAL KINGDOM HAS DONE NOTHING TO CAUSE THIS

THE ANIMAL KINGDOM HAS DONE NOTHING TO DESERVE THIS

IT IS ALL ON YOU 

HUMAN BEINGS

YOU HAVE CAUSED THIS—NOW FIX IT

when Mother Nature has given up and the animal kingdom has perished

all that will be left 

is your polluted concrete jungle

and your closets full of stuff

-Madeline Anne Zetye