Literary Vegan

Two cats on a bed Content An empty tea cup Sighing  I try to slow time Being present But the cats are present Without trying. C. LJ 2019

Though she feels surrounded, Lost in light-scattered haze She steels her heart against the storm, Her mind against the rain  Until the clouds pour flower petals And courage colours her face, Hailed luminous with the rising moon, Reminded she is brave. C. LJ Ireton 2019

I'm not alone. My cat is next to me. And her eyes hold Lion prides, Dragon treasure and Tiger stripes -  The whole animal kingdom Is curled at my feet Choosing me for company.  C. LJ Ireton 2019

Sanctuary Small, smiling sleepers Worn out from chasing apples Sleep in safety, resting on their mother. My heart is in that straw That the piglets snuggle into A blanket of peace Unlike the others. I’m so happy for a moment But it shouldn’t be momentary Peace should not be isolated, Should not be secondary To suffering as standard, Substandard living – Please give the others Sanctuary. Copyright LJ Ireton 2018

Beings They're frightened. Little hearts beat in alarm Little lives form a death drum - One after one after one They drop off the spectrum Of beings who feel Because humans don't feel It's a problem. So the animals fear, Understand, While humans become numb. Copyright LJ Ireton 2018

OCD (4) Every thought Followed by Every single footstep Followed by Every thought  Is a  Slow Concentrated Balance Along a tightrope Belonging To a spiderweb of destruction That could Break With Any single footstep. Copyright LJ Ireton 2018

Species In your eyes I see all eyes Held in different shapes Who feel the same As you do Destined for other fates For what reason? There is no reason To distinguish heart from heart To share a home With one Should pardon The whole And not the part. Copyright LJ Ireton 2018

Water from a tap Is no less a waterfall It can still inspire Copyright LJ Ireton 2018

Reading   I am stuck inside I look out the window and feel worse. Then I look to my side And see my reading book That will transport me beyond this city, Still covered in blankets And I am grateful. Copyright LJ Ireton 2018

I am only sane In a room of animals ~ Humans confuse me. Copyright LJ Ireton 2018

Butterfly I peek out of a tiny hole  In my cocoon Wondering how they do it - Like they've never known This blanket of doubt  Or ugly wings. They fly, They inspire Why does it feel like I have to work Harder? I've glimpsed my colours I know they're there. For this time in the dark, I'm going to make them shine So bright they seem effortless. Perhaps that's what the others Are doing. Copyright LJ Ireton 2018

New Year's Eve I won't wait for the Midnight turn My Christmas candle still burns And the cats tuck their heads in to curl Into shapes of sleep framed by fur. This is the moment I take Into next year of noise and mistakes These halycon minutes, now made By creatures, contented and safe. I am one of them too So I pray with silent gratitude The night crowds will shout loudly soon But my candle lights up the whole room.   Copyright LJ Ireton 2017.

Hatchlings They do no wrong. They hatch, they cheep And start to look around At scattered egg shells And matching eyes, set In hatchling soft, soft, down That we replicate as fluffy toys And put their image on sale As they are killed and thrown as trash Because they were born male.  Copyright LJ Ireton 2018

Watching  Watching  Sea creatures Of the deep on TV In awe of their complexity They build a community These tiny fish  Coloured with intellect Yet humanity's disconnect Puts them on plates Eating The stills of reality. Copyright LJ 2017

Buy Haiku and Cinquains here  

         Man-made shooting stars     Bend their sparkling willow leaves      Bow before the Moon                        Copyright LJ 2017

Life   If we saw life as children do, Light would let the spectrum through We’d find surprise in tiny things – Flower petals or fairy wings? Sand would become sparkle dust, Forest dwellings wanderlust. We’d seek the unicorns in the trees And feel their magic in the breeze – See all the animals as miracles too, Offer them tea cups, as children do. Copyright LJ 2017 From Eden

The World is a Cat The world is a cat – Her belly, the ocean The land marks her back – A forest in motion The waves of the moon Are found in her eyes, The stripes of the trees Run down her side In one perfect jump, Fierce and softness collide Yes, the world is a cat – Fire and water, combined. Copyright LJ 2017

My Ark There need be no flood,   No water around   For me to build my ark. There is danger enough On the expanse of our ground For me to make a start. No spears, no knives, no guns No greed Will come aboard this ship. All kinds of kind Will sit inside While man’s cruel reign still drips. Copyright LJ 2017    From The Gold Leaf