When i first laid eyes on you
it was love at first sight
Then i got to know you better and realized
that we have so very much in common
You relish eating delectable meals
(So do i)
You love to smell the nearby,splendid wildflowers
(So do i)
You love the songs of the joyful,little birds early in the mornings
(So do i)
You like to watch beautiful horses sprightly prancing around
(So do i)
You love to roll around in the sweet,textured mud
(So do i) (Well,at least i did when i was your age)
You dislike being bossed,bullied,and pushed around by heartless people
(Same for me)
As time went by,i became even more enamored with you
Rumor had it,though,that you might be liquidated by carnivorous others
(That played heavy on my heart) I was looking forward to seeing you again
but not (being myself a long-term vegetarian) between
someone else’s two slices of bread
It is a shame when others dismiss you as
merely being a swine
We are all hoggish in our lives in
one form or another
***********************************************************************************************
This poem is dedicated — with much respect and fondness — to Jinx. Jinx was a bus driver at the school for the multiply handicapped where i worked as a teacher. In warm weather, i would often take my sack lunch to the beautiful river that was right on the school property… and eat my lunch on the banks, watching the river go by. Jinx would often be there fishing during his lunch break; he would release any fish that he caught. Jinx, when he found out that i was a vegetarian, told me that he had been the owner of a pig farm for many years. Then, one day, he decided to give it all up, because it seemed wrong to be raising them for slaughter. Jinx became a vegetarian. Quite some time later, after i had switched over to another school, i found out that Jinx died. Jinx was driving through Chicago. He had seen a house on fire and heard screams from children inside the house. Without hesitation, Jinx ran into the house in an attempt to rescue the children. Jinx died in that fire. He is a true hero (and he had real love).
Miss Piggy (1) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2016
Miss Piggy (2) Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2016
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 
Lovely tribute to Jinx and lovely photos too 🙂
Thank you, Liza! I hope it was a good-enough tribute. Jinx was a very wonderful person! 🙂
It was a lovely tribute 🙂
Aw Jinx really was a true hero, and it takes some guts to totally change your life around out of respect for another sentient being (pigs.)
Pigs get such a bad rap; they are highly intelligent and actually very clean animals; much more similar to ourselves than many people realise. They think it is all about the chimps!
Yes, Sci, he was a true hero. Yes, it takes a lot of guts to quit your livelihood and dramatically change your life around out of love and respect for another life-form.
Yes… they get a very bad rap. Many people don’t realize just how intelligent they are. They are even smarter than dogs… and i don’t have to explain to you what that means! And they have to go into mud on warm days, because they do not (like we do) have sweat glands.
🙂
Thank you 4 d smile, VM! 🙂 If you are a vegan, make sure that you get enough of essential fatty acids; many vegetarians don’t. Swanson Vitamins, for example, sells Chia oil essential fatty acids in capsule form.
Sounds like Jinx was a remarkable person. You were lucky to know him.
Yes, Karen… very lucky! 🙂
Dear Jinx. Dear pigs…
🙂 Both are highly intelligent…
Interesting choice/use of photos. The first one beautifully reflects the underlying “hoggish” beauty of the first part of your Miss Piggy post, the second the poignancy of Jinx’s related story.
Thank you, Mary! 🙂 I’m glad that you think that the photos that i selected/created were appropriate; sometimes i wonder if i chose the right ones!
Impressive, this story, nicely told. And interesting poem… food for thought. 🙂
Thanks very much, Nicole! 🙂 It’s one thing that a lot of people need to think more about… instead of merely going through the preprogrammed motions of how they were brought up.
May Jinx’s soul rest in peace. That was a touching tribute. 🙂
Thank U much, B! 🙂
Adorable Tom!
Thank you, Val! 🙂 This was a difficult one (for me) to write.
I re-read all the way to end, and can see how hard this might be. I was thinking of the connection with the piggy, rather than the tribute to a remarkable human. 🙏
So very nice of you, Val, for looking into the connection! There were a lot of tears in the making of this one, both for the pig and for Jinx. Somehow, both have a real similarity and deep connection. Sometimes, for some of us, life isn’t fair; you get all kinds of wonderful attributes and sensitivity… and by circumstances — either intentionally by others or by mere chance — you end up getting screwed. One realizes, though, that both had much joy and a lot of excellent perceptions in the life — even though it was cut short for both — and that may certainly be more than good enough. 🙂
Jinx sounds like he was a great person. We need more Jinxes in the world
That’s for sure, Wayne. 🙂
monkey enjoy 100 % read tribute to good human being jinx. btw 1 of favorite book series Man read when he little boy = freddy the pig by walter r brooks. in series one of main character in all 26 book = jinx a cat who big friend of freddy.
Wow! That is a weird coincidence! The real life Jinx became the true friend of pigs. Today, i looked up Walter R Brooks online and read about the series. Another weird coincidence is that online it mentions that Jinx the cat, in the series, is black; the real life Jinx was African American. Now i’m wondering if Jinx acquired that name (or gave himself that name, that everyone called him by) because of familiarity with that series. It would be interesting to inquire into with friends or relatives, but it’s been a very long time since his passing.
Thank you for the tribute to Jinx. Thank you for sharing the story, Tom.
Thanks very much, Amy! 🙂 I wish it had a happier ending.
wonderful heroes
remembered 🙂
Yes, David! He was the champion for animals and children! 🙂
You are a gentle and beautiful soul, my friend. Lovely post and tribute.
Thanks, Lori! The way you help the deer and other animals… so are you! 🙂
I love this blog post… Great tribute to Jinx.
Thank you, Lou! 🙂 We need more Jinxes in the world!
So cute..
marvellous and moving
Thanks for stopping by my blog today-glad you enjoyed my post. Love your ode to a pig and the touching dedication. Great blog.
RIP Jinx. 😔💕
What a great story! 🙂 ❤