The Chicken Tore Me Up Poem by john tiong chunghoo

as i began to tear into
the braised chicken breast
a pang of pain suddenly struck;
this satiation of greed
with the wanton abuse
of freedom on another creation.
the buddhist sutra i read
kept coming back to torment my mind.
for a second or two,
my chewing lost momentum.
for another minute or so
i saw faces, women and men
behind the little tempting
bundle of soya sauce delight.
there were cries, there were laughters.
in another life we could have
been friends, relatives or even
father and son.
the part eaten turned heavy on
my heart, tore me up
right to my conscience.