Poem from a Prisoner

As part of our Valentines from VINE event, one of the prisoners to whom we’ll be encouraging people to write is Manuel Salas, who describes himself as a “vegan politicized prisoner and animal rights activist.” Today, we want to share a poem that he wrote after learning of the death of a duck.

Here’s the backstory:

Longtime friend-of-the-sanctuary Sarahjane Blum, who serves on the Board of Directors of Support Vegans in the Prison System (Support VIPS), corresponds with Manuel. When sanctuary resident Baltimore Blum, whom Sarahjane had rescued from a foie gras factory many years before, died last August, Sarahjane wrote to Manuel of her sorrow. He sent her back a hand-colored drawing of a family of ducks along with this poem, which he graciously has permitted us to publish here:

I shed tears today
It was for you Baltimore Blum
Because I have been there
Not with you but with others
Helped free animal friends and
Labeled by some a terrorist
For exposing the conditions
They keep our friends like you
In for only one reason
And that is to make
A profit of torturing
And oppressing. Not only are
Friends suffering we
Do too and your human mommy
Loved you I know she
Did because she put
Herself in danger
For you now if that
Is not love than
I do not know
What love is. I’m glad
You were rescued and
Given a loving home
We will miss you.

Again, we are encouraging our supporters elsewhere to write their own letters to prisoners (or even host their own letter-writing events) on Valentine’s Day. Watch this blog for more links to prisoner support websites as well as tips on writing letters to prisoners as the day approaches.