.
White House ceremony to receive the 40th annual Thanksgiving Turkey: photographer unknown, 23 November 1987; image 17 October 2012 (Ronald Reagan Library/US National Archives)
The anthems of thanks that rise......
from the dark barns
where the artificially
......................conceive
systematically
mutilated, permanently
confined,
.............methodically
brutalized factory
farm food animals
.................are hidden away
from the light of day
amid fear and squalor
in panic maelstrom
throughout their brief not-quite livesmay be counted as equal
in number to
the tweets of praise
Allah receives
......................from Gitmo
when a brother is hung up
by his thumbs
three nights
and three days
......................but then and three days
questions put to living tissue
from above
..................can't be answered
from below
the karmic line
that separates "us"
from the sentient universe
..........................so easily
President John F. Kennedy receives Thanksgiving Turkey from Poultry and Egg National Board, accompanied by Senator Everett M. Dirksen: photo by Abbie Rowe, 19 November 1963; image 2 August 2012 (John F. Kennedy Library/US National Archives)
Happy Thanksgiving (from a bunch of turkeys); photo by Paul Armstrong (wiseacre photo), 28 November 2008
Post turkey: photo by David Talley, 24 November 2011
Butterball Abuse 21: photo by Mercy for Animals, 8 December 2011
Butterball Abuse 20: photo by Mercy for Animals, 26 November 2011
Butterball Abuse 4: photo by Mercy for Animals, 1 December 2011
Butterball Abuse 1: photo by Mercy for Animals, 26 November 2011
Butterball Abuse 3: photo by Mercy for Animals, 30 November 2011
Butterball Abuse 14: photo by Mercy for Animals, 9 December 2011
Broiler chicks in Canadian factory turkey farm: photo by Twyla Francois, 10 October 2010
Broiler chicks in Canadian factory turkey farm: photo by Twyla Francois, 10 October 2010
Broiler chicks in Canadian factory turkey farm: photo by Twyla Francois, 10 October 2010
![]()
Dead broiler chicks in Canadian factory turkey farm: photo by Twyla Francois, 10 October 2010
Dead broiler chicks in Canadian factory turkey farm: photo by Twyla Francois, 10 October 2010
Cruel loading of turkeys at Granny's Poultry Cooperative slaughterhouse in Blumenort, Manitoba: photo by Twyla Francois, 9 May 2011
Granny's catcher mooning us between throwing turkeys. Blumenort, Manitoba: photo by Twyla Francois, 10 May 2011
The load Sophie and Katie escaped. Overloaded transport truck, Granny's Poultry Cooperative, Blumenort, Manitoba: photo by Twyla Francois, 9 May 2011
Overloaded, untarped Granny's turkeys en route to slaughter. Blumenort, Manitoba: photo by Twyla Francois, 9 May 2009
Overloaded, untarped Granny's turkeys en route to slaughter: photo by Twyla Francois, 9 May 2009
Overloaded, untarped Granny's turkeys en route to slaughter: photo by Twyla Francois, 9 May 2009
Katie and Sophie grooming on first day outsideafter rescue by Canadians for Ethical Treatment of Food Animals from Canadian factory farm transporttruck: photo by Twyla Francois, 17 May 2011
Katie enjoying a dust bath: photo by Twyla Francois, 18 August 2011
Tom Turkey in full mating display. Just before sunrise, Catskill Mountains, New York state: photo by William Dalton, 4 May 2007
Turkey and pedestrian (Novato, California): photo by efo, 5 September 2007