“To beef…or not to beef?”
The words of an enthusiastic
Italian butcher.

In our cognitive dissonance,
we know it’s a vice.
That fleshy desire for flesh.

It just hits different, right?
The chewiness of meat.
Its unique savoriness.

There’s nothing like it.

In the moment, there’s nothing better.
It arouses the senses.
It leaves us wanting more.

How ironic this iron-laden food is.
Heme iron, that is.
Something we need for our own flesh.

Bovine flesh fed on iron-rich grass.
Thriving until dead…
by the rancher’s hand.

Leafy heme is clean.
But meaty heme tastes the best…
Just only in the moment.

Moments after the moment,
fatigue falls upon us.
Then remorse repeats itself.

Time after time,
it corrodes arteries
from the inside.

Indulging in a little death,
we briefly feel alive,
but ultimately lose our spirit.

It’s like a carnal sin that we celebrate.
Carnival:
Farewell to meat.

Then we repent.

Then we meet.

Then we repeat.