The Chicken Tore Me Up

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.