Moo, Translated
You dismiss our voice,
claiming we can’t talk,
because English
doesn’t pour from our mouths
Yet you understand
that a man speaking Japanese
is still communicating
even though your
one-language American brain
lacks a single clue
as to what he is saying
You comprehend that
a human child can’t form
complete sentences,
or even simple words,
but they can still tell you
they are hungry or dirty or scared,
if you are only willing to listen
You even see pain and happiness
effortlessly
in the eyes of your loyal dog
But when you hear my moo,
you pay no heed to my voice
You still claim I do not have one
So let me take a second
to translate for your ears
what you dismiss as unintelligible,
while your eyes simply look
the other way
Pain hurts,
being killed sucks,
and having your babies stolen from you
is the most piercing heartache of all
But you didn’t really need
the translation
You already knew
the information
You aren’t really that blind
Your ears could understand
in any language
if only you cared enough
to listen
Written December 2, 2018