© 2010 Vaughan Chapman

Freedom Comes in Small Bites

Freedom comes in small bites
for the vegetarian.

First, the fish and chips summers
once or twice on beaches. Then

fall, winter, spring at restaurants.
At restaurants, salmon in salads,

tuna sandwiches from home.

Then the capicollo under cheese
one cold and hungry afternoon

on the last slice of pizza
in the last open street shop

with any pizza at all. Seagulls

carping on the wind, newspapers
flying. Then the reaching for

the chicken bones on another's
plate, chicken salad sandwiches

payday lunches, the rotisserie
chicken coming home. What will

happen when the beef comes?

Venison?