Thank you to Lynda Lee at dVerse for tonight’s prosery quote: “A cow is screaming across the arroyo.” It led me to exploring a topic that’s been on my mind a lot lately.
If you’d like to take part, click on the link to read about prosery and dVerse.
“It is just like man’s vanity and impertinence to call an animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions. ”
Mark Twain
No Dumb Animals (144 words)
A cow is screaming across the arroyo. She recognizes the helpless fearful cry: where have you gone, my little one?
The calf probably slipped down the embankment. Mare approaches the currently dry stream bed where she hears a responding bleat.
Countless times, she’s mocked: “It’s a stupid cow.” “Just a deer.” “Dumb squirrel.”
She bites her tongue, every time, lately not so much. Age? Research? The world? Who knows why her tongue’s become greased lightning imparting undesired opinions.
She thinks of her pup, Kasey, grateful for her presence through his pain, placing his chin one last time on her hand, moments before the injection. How that chin once rested on her shoulder as a foster who didn’t want to leave–and didn’t.
The universe with its vast bastion of secrets but one she knows and knows to be true: no animal’s a dumb animal.
end
Sascha Darlington
Amen! The first step in exploiting a being is to devalue and objectify the being. How could we eat steaks if they came from intelligent creatures?
Good point!
Thank you, Jade! 🙂
You’re welcome.
As we say on a family road trip every time we see a cow…
“COW!!”
lol I think we did that too. Maybe a HORSE thrown in as well. Thanks! 🙂
😆 totally 😆
😀
Nice description: “her tongue’s become greased lightning imparting undesired opinions.” Good point about animals not being dumb.
Thank you, Frank! 😊
I like where you’ve taken your prosery, Sascha, and agree that there are no dumb animals! And I love the caring nature of your character.
Thank you so much, Kim!
Not many cows get to keep their babies at all these days. Of course, stupid cow mothers don’t care, so they?
It’s easier for some to believe it so. Thanks for reading, Jane!
I think we’re past the stage of pandering to people’s sensibilities now. Pleasure!
That last line… look into their eyes and understand there is so much more to know.
So true. I can see how much they know that we don’t have the time to understand. Thank you! 🙂
Very true.
They are not dumb at all… if they were we would understand them wouldn’t we?
Heart rendering write!
Thank you so much for Margaret! 😊
Loving this and such a truth you’ve referenced. Anyone who’s had a pet in their home – most especially a dog or a cat….or horses in their fields…knows how animals can sense our feelings….how they can be trained to tasks. Mostly, I’m impressed with their empathy. Having had to put down two of our family pets many years ago….I remember the feelings well.