Red, dripping carnal mess
prepackaged with suffering and disease
sits at the bottom of my food haven
the thorn in my side,
it haunts me,
reminds me
that underneath
its dyed flesh,
its juicy meat,
was a gorgeous creature
who never had the chance to live

--Starza Kolman is an 18-year-old student at James Madison University and President of the school's Animal Rights Coalition. She's been vegetarian since she was 12 and vegan for two years. This poem is from her collection called "Revolutionary Masks."