Maurer, Naomi

The Life of a Pig

1. Everywhere is dark,
2. And cold,
3. But mother is warm.
4. Snuggling into her bristly fur.
5. Jostling against his siblings
6. To get to his mother’s teats.
7. Rich, warm milk flows into his stomach.
8. He is adorable.
9.  
10. As the days pass,
11. He speedily grows.
12. His eyes open.
13. And his world is filled with grayish light.
14. His fur grows thicker and begins to bristle.
15. He begins to explore…
16. But there is little to see.
17. The walls of his pen, a feeding trough.
18. But his mother is here.
19. And so are his brothers and sisters,
20. Wrestling with them is fun.
21. And he is happy.
22.  
23. Larger and larger he grows.
24. And all his playmates are taken away.
25. No one to talk to.
26. No one to cuddle.
27. But eating makes him less lonely.
28. So he devours all the slop that he is fed.
29. Months and months he waits.
30.  
31. And then the door creaks open.
32. He steps into the fresh air.
33. But he is not free.
34. He is pushed and shoved.
35. He cannot chose which way he goes.
36. He is surrounded by pigs.
37. He is no longer alone.
38. But he is too hurried to make friends.
39. Soon he and many others are crammed into a truck.
40. It rattles along the road.
41.  
42. Miles and miles,
43. Then it stops.
44. He is terrified.
45. But curious.
46. What will happen next?
47. The door opens.
48. He hurries down a steel ramp
49. A sudden shock.
50. Everywhere is dark!