Regarding all crawling creatures that only crawl on the ground—i.e., the snake, who moves about bent over; any creature that moves about only on its belly; the scorpion, who walks on four legs; and any creature that walks on more than four legs, including any creature that has many legs—you may not eat these, for they must be considered loathsome. ~ Leviticus 11:42
No offense, meat eaters and representatives
of the vegetable community, but I’m a vegetarian.
It’s been thirty-eight years since a
formerly living creatures intentionally passed through
my lips to be broken down by my biological processes
and keep me alive another day.
I remember it well and knew nothing else for
those first eighteen years when my mother
(may she rest in Syracuse) occasionally provided
the structure, guidance, and materials for my
daily nourishment. I don’t care how many legs
you’ve got – I am not going to eat you.
Even if you have no legs and spend your time
moving from place to place on your stomach
occasionally trying to convince one of the first people
to eat what they were told they shouldn’t
you’re safe from my carnivorous desires.
I want to pet all the animals. Even the scaly ones.
Every second not writing these poems is spent
watching videos of people hugging bears or
convincing wild foxes to live inside and be dogs.
It is my main job to convince the world’s animals
I am their friend and they can count on me
for safe harbor and nourishment.
My wife and my bank account are not on board with this.
So I’ll stick with these public declarations and my
kosher-style allegiance to these ancient words.
Oh, wigglers and crawlers – you with the many legs
and stomach touching the ground, you with fur, and you
with cloven hooves. You’re forever safe with me.
Rick Lupert, a poet, songleader and graphic designer, is the author of 28 books including “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion.” Visit him at www.JewishPoetry.net
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