La Diosa Rubia

For Lara

La Diosa Rubia

 

When no one is looking,
and the Farmer’s away.

I sometimes pretend
that I am not who they say.

 

And when I am quite sure,
that no one there knows.

I’ll think that my meadow,
Is  a Plaza de Torros.

 

I watch La Diosa Rubia
step down from her mount.
She walks over to me,
stands still for my count.

 

I paw the ground three times

with a thundering force.

The breath from my nostrils,
even frightens her horse.

 

Our eyes lock on each other’s
and the crowd becomes still.

We speak with our senses,
as true lovers often will.

As I charge toward her
Conchita lowers her sword.

I turn to not hurt her
and she says not a word.

 

While I’m right beside her,
her hand tenderly reaches.

As she touches my back,
the crowd cheers and cheers.

 

My true love then departs,
with her sword by her side.
And I didn’t see it, but…

There were tears in her eyes.

 

BB

 

The world famous female bull fighter Conchita Cintrón passed away last year.  Her career began when she was 13 and she faced and killed 750 Bulls.  But the last one she fought she touched lovingly on the back as he charged.  Then she walked away in tears as the crowd cheered.  Before you judge, remember that all of us proud bovines would rather look into the eye of the Toreador or Toreadora than see the horrible slaughterhouses that you lead us blindly to on the way to McDonalds or the Supermarket.

Reviews

[Gandré]

Every year approx. 100 000 bulls are tormented and killed in bullfights worldwide. Many attendees are tourists and 90 % of these never return to another fight after witnessing relentless cruelty that takes place in the ring.
I find it good that you as a farmer makes us aware of this useless and disguised art - or entertainment. It has for sure murderous mystique, at least it is exactly the way how it is advertised.

I have read (former bullfighter reported) that the animals are intentionally debilitated with tranquilizers and laxatives and they get petroleum jelly rubbed into their eyes to blur vision or they hung heavy weights around their neck for weeks before fight and were kept in darkness for hours before being released into the bright arena.

Here raises a question: Are we humans allowed to kill for fun? I mean our ancestors killed to, but they did in order to survive.

Many bullfighters are vegetarians.

Bullfighters reported, bulls get their horns "shaved", so the bull miss his thrusts at the altered angle. Well, bulls are not the only victims; horses used in bullfights are - shot behind the ear with dope and the horses are drugged and blindfolded and have newspaper stuffed in their ears so it lowers their hearing .

Certainly, there is growing opposition against this art - or entertainment - which emerged in connection with ancient fertility rites.

It's a bloody amusement and abject, here is visible the devil of man. (or woman, torrera, as you wrote here in your poem). There are many opposed to animal cruelty in any form. When tourists stop to attend arenas - profiteers will stop the cruelty. SO OR SO BLOODY OR BLOODLESS - BULLFIGHTING IS A SENSELESS AND DEGRADING SPECTACLE THAT HAS NO PLACE IN CIVILIZED SOCIETY. In interest of next generations, we have to work on planet preservation.

We need to be critical about the companion animal as well as farm animals which have their own personality, they can express love and get angry and show friendship and a variety of emotions. Thus they deserve our respect and gratitude - for what they give us. Agriculture always has been important to humanity. By buying refusing industrial agriculture and preferring to buy meat and meat products from places working with human and acceptable methods: even nowadays we face this problem of having - less land - for more animals - for the populations are increasing, I still believe, that this way everybody can help to gentle the situation. Farms, where animals have no outlet for their behavior and have to stand on the same place and often not even allowed to turn around, the calfs too early separated from their mothers, they receive treatment against neurosis and diseases and anesthesia - which you buy in the store and those artificial molecules land later at your plate when you enjoy your hamburger or steak.

The compassionate living is for every living creature not only for humans.

I like your classical versification in quatrains and ab ab rhyme; especially I liked the fictive monologue of your brown bull.

I am sure, your Brown Bull loved his female toreador, he was generous and cautious not to hurt her. Would a common Spanish or Mexican torrera behave the same way? Well, what is this all about, this lady fought as you say and killed around 750 bulls and then the last one - got a touch on his back and she in tears left the arena..... Isn't it the same self-promotion like Bob Geldof and all the others who pump money to Africa but not because they want really to help, more alike the quote "tue Gutes and sprich darüber", as we say in Germany - which means - do something nice and talk about - so everybody will talk about you! What a pretentiousness, what a useless effort. Well, I wonder, who made them to stars? Not me. I would not give a bugger for one concert nor for sensationalism - not any of those - those people would be nobody, if nobody bought their CDs or visited their shows. I don't care for superiority nor do I care for celebrities nor do I dream about being compared in my writing to anybody else. but, that's just me.

I think this world is about sharing and shared awareness, it is about altruism (not frigging Tea Party!! Not about German Neo Nazis!! Not about eastern-European radical patritiocism!!), it is about simpler life and BACK TO SIMPLER LIFE FORMS. For I know, everything what I do to the universe - the universe does back to be. Physics, 8th grade, schools in Germany and in Slovakia, where I was raised..

[Tia Sanchez]

This is touching. And I like the message you send at the end. It's sport.

[Dutch Jr.]

This poem is intriguing. I grew up in a Caribbean/Islamic home, so I was raised to believe that beef and pork were completely off limits, because of the demonic way they were slaughtered. But this that you refer to is sport. Different circumstances. I agree with Chloe, I would muc rather face my doom in a ring, with a fair chance of living, than bein helplessly slaugtered. Nice poem.

[Chloe..Across the Unive..]

Yes, were I a bull a death by a Toreador or a Toreadora would be preferable to being someone's dollar menu luncheon.
This is a compassionate poem ..and such a great metaphor of sorts .. a bull and a Toreadora .. lovers..
Wonderfully penned for a dear friend.. Lara.

Chloe

[Jibey]

Set aside the bull-fighting issues and I liked the way you created the psyche of the bull and lived it for a few moments... An enjoying and even touching poem...

[Coyote Poetry]

We live in a society that glorify battle and death. Funny part few men and woman who fought in the battles will brag about their victory. This story is very strong. In some places in this world. The beast is given a almost fair chance ( I heard they drug the bulls.) This woman sound like a good lady. Her last battle she did show the beast some respect. A excellent poem.
Coyote