All Else Stopped

it seemed odd
from even the
first few seconds.
we were discussing
Guru Maharaji,
vegetarianism, and
more while in a car
waiting for the "light"
to change...................
....and somehow, we just

stopped talking
and
looked to our right.

there on the sidewalk,
in front of a Mr. Donut,
on Hempstead Turnpike
we saw
a man.
squatting down and
inspecting
the carcass
of a

long-dead bird.
he reached down and
touched it's tail.

then i noticed he was
wearing glasses,
had pen and paper in
his shirt pocket;
neatly dressed, and
probably on his
lunch hour also.
he stared at
the body for awhile,
and then
he picked up a
handful of nearby

gravel, and pro-
ceeded to cover
his discovery.
he maintained a serious
thought-filled face
with almost a pre-
determined directfulness
with each move.

all else stopped
for this magnificent
streetside ritual.

we looked at each other
with smiles on our faces
as the "light" changed
and we were swept away....
the Birdman of Mr. Donut
got up and walked off.

on the sidewalk
lay his friend, the bird,
disguised as a
mound of gravel.

it's strange how things
were timed
for us
to arrive at
his ceremony.

Can We Talk?

I'd like to see if the act of kindness forwarded by "Vegetarian Belly" will catch on and so I, too, invite you to have your link added to my favs in return for a link to yours. Leave your URL in the comments. In return kindly add my blog to your page. My URL is…
http://www.cpvegan.blogspot.com

Many Kudos to Suicide Food for this consciousnees-raising website

Do You Like Sushi?

Thank you Isa and Terry!

They mother babies, teach each other, laugh, cry and grieve

It was time to get on with it

Thanks to a comment by visitor Candi, I have been inspired to reveal the "epihany" I experienced which nudged me, finally, into the vegan lifestyle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As a vegetarian for 33 years, I would find myself apologizing to inquiring minds about my eating eggs and dairy by saying, "I'm still evolving." Well recently I realized I couldn't even apologise to even myself anymore. I had stumbled upon a short video clip narrated by Alec Baldwin. It was PETA footage taken in a slaughterhouse. At the end I hear him say, "If you drink milk you are still supporting the production of veal."

For some reason, while sitting in my Honda Accord waiting to make a left turn at a light (I distinctly remember the intersection in Mineola, NY) and (probably) listening to Nellie Furtado, I heard myself reviewing the good and bad behaviours of the person Carl (me-duh).

As usual, I was disgusted with myself for biting my cuticles again after months of no-biting and healing. But also, remembering recent conversations defending my "halt in evolution". How long have I been repeating this "excuse"? 33 years?! What am I nuts? Did I ever really mean to evolve, you know, make that leap into the dark world of further rununciation and self-sacrifice?

I sat there ashamed. Who the hell am I kidding? I have not moved on this because I was never really gonna do it dammit! Yeah, tell everyone, and, well, show them my plastic shoes and belts
and explain that we don't bet on horses or attend circuses, blah, blah, blaaaahhhhh.

Wait a freakin' minute, here! If I look close enough, I think I am practically there. I think I already have one foot in an air bubble hole in a piece of vegan seitan! This next step shouldn't be all that hard, well, except for all the family and co-worker ribbing and points of view and anger and inconvenience.

So, really, there it is. Thanks to the accidental discovery of the Baldwin/PETA video, I decided I was fed up being a hypocrite to myself. I only wish I would've made the transformation sooner, as I find out now that vegans are alot cooler than the breed I saw roaming the vegetarian summerfests in 1975!...

...and, hey, I can actually buy Vegan Multi-vitamins and soy yogurt! How great is that?!

Sort of a homecoming for activists in film

Excerpt from-Film Festival Focuses on Activism
The second Artivist Film Festival, where Artivist equals Activist, comes to Hollywood

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By Vince Hollywood
The Epoch Times June 14, 2005
"...there may be an “activist gene,” a sensitivity for the human (or animal) condition and the impact of the many oppressions of the world. It seemed to me that a great many of the participants of this Artivist were involved with animal rights. But then again, this is just the second festival of its kind, and the other areas may just need time to develop at the festival, as the word gets out that the Artivist festival exists.
And, as it turned out, the festival was not just a collection of films. Besides panel discussions on the many topics presented, various rights groups brought brochures and magazines to hand out to like-minded folks. Actor Ben Begley had his line of environment-friendly cleansing products. PETA was giving out its Vegetarian Start Guide. Vision Magazine, subtitled “Catalyst for Conscious Living,” one of the many sorts of publications one finds at the door of health food stores, was giving out samples of its “Animal Companions” issue. Let’s just say these four days were “content rich.”
The Artivist Film Festival was started last year by activists Diaky Diaz, Bettina Wolff and Chris Riedesel.
The next Artivist Film Festival is scheduled for April 2006 (www.artivist.us.) If you can make your way to the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood during that time, and you’re involved with, or concerned about the rights of many of the world’s sentient beings, the Artivist Film Festival is a good place to bring yourself up to speed on the work of people who are trying to make the world a better place for us all."
The day relating to animal activism was very powerful. Some films were warm and fuzzy like Peaceable Kingdom, which was about an animal sanctuary farm started by two people devoted to saving animals from needless slaughter. (Query note: Is any slaughter necessary?) Another film, “Earthlings,” which was narrated by Joaquim Phoenix won an Artivist Award for animal advocacy. It had to be one of the most violent films ever made, with horrific film footage of the torture and killing of animals. James Cromwell, star of such films as L.A. Confidential and Babe, was a constant presence throughout the festival. An avid animal rights advocate, Cromwell spoke to many of the issues throughout. He became a vegan in the year of the production of Babe. “I thought that, rather than eating my co-star, I should show a little discretion.” Cromwell was honored with an Artivist Award for his role in animal activism.

Joaquin Phoenix and the Holiday Message hardly anyone saw