The Last Day Of Your Life

This video is for those who will never see it—my words for those who will never hear them.

[See the video above for the full impact of this piece. Below is the written poem/narration.]

Take a deep breath.

Don’t close your eyes.

Keep breathing.

You’re not alone.

You’re not lost.

You’re not dying.

Yet.

—-

They say every day is a new opportunity to live life to the fullest, every morning a clean slate upon which we may write our dreams.

They say our future is limited only by our imagination.

They say a lot of things…

…that yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has yet to come.

That today is all we have.

And in this, they’re almost right. Because, my dear, you don’t even have today.

You have right now. This very moment.

And nothing more.

Because today

is the day

you die.

—-

I’d like to tell you it will be peaceful. I’d like to tell you there’s nothing to fear.

But, my dear, in this moment—this here and now—this time that is all we have—

I will not lie to you.

—-

They will say your death was humane and painless—

but it will be terrifying and excruciating.

They will say it was an act of mercy—an end to a life filled with suffering—

but there is no mercy in murder.

They will say your death was necessary, part of the circle of life, a link in our food chain, the fulfillment your life’s purpose and our god-given right—

but there is no god here.

—-

They will say a lot of things, my dear.

Things to soothe. Things to comfort. Things to coddle—

themselves.

Their words will do nothing for you.

They will only serve to further deny you recognition—further obfuscate, excuse, and rationalize away your thankless life, your abject misery, your mutilation, suffering, abuse, violation, and death.

Because, my dear, you’ll never even see the very monsters behind your murder.

They’re far from here, blissfully—willfully—unaware of this here and now.

But soon, my dear, they’ll come—laughing and smiling—for your corpse.

They’ll bypass your blood. They will not hear your screams.

They’ll wait for you.

For part of you—cleanly packaged. Perfectly presented.

A picture of the false peace I cannot promise you.

And they will never look you in the eye.

—-

So in this moment—this here and now—this is what I can give you—

all I can give you:

I will not turn away.

I will not close my eyes or shield my ears.

I see you.

I’m here.

And I’m fighting.

But I will not save you. Your death will be in vain.

It will be painful.

It will be terrifying.

And you will not be alone because you’ll watch your family die with you.

—-

It’s almost time, my dear.

Your here-and-now is almost through.

Take a deep breath.

Close your eyes.

—-

The footage in this video is from my time outside three slaughterhouses in Toronto, Canada at an all-day vigil with Toronto Pig Save.

Every individual you have seen here died brutally moments after this was filmed.

The lies we tell ourselves about our treatment of animals only bring comfort to our own conscience. To learn the truth about where your food comes from, see the videos and resources linked below.

Take just a moment to challenge your preconceptions.

See through their eyes.

Find the facts behind my words.

It’s all there at your fingertips.

The choice is now yours.

Who will you be in this here and now?

—-

Please like and share this video post to have their stories heard, and subscribe to the channel for more vegan content. To support messages like this please see the support page or join us in the Nugget Army on Patreon.

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— Emily Moran Barwick