Punk Site Poetry With Cherry B: “Rabbit Food”

Cherry B is our punked up pumped up performance poet, who has been described as the The Punk Pam Ayers and The Cockney Cooper Clarke. She has returned with Rabbit Food, her latest exclusive poem for The Punk Site. Cherry B had this to say about the poem: “This is a brand new one about being a vegan, I’ve slowly started writing again after completing my novel this year. Lots of creative plans coming up, new ideas with Peesh and another possible book. We (Cherry & Peesh) play Harlow on Nov 16th with Blyth Power, then an animal benefits gig with Rites of Hadda on January 19th in London.”

Rabbit Food

I do it for the animals, not some fancy fad or phase,

Or to impress or belittle the ignorance of the carnivorous race.

 I don’t do it just to wind you up and upset your one feeling

It’s because eating the flesh of tortured souls, is not appealing.

Can you check if it’s vegan I ask, your reaction is no surprise.

Don’t make me feel awkward, I can see you roll your eyes.

I have 40 years of a meatless existence; I know what I’m doing.

 But your arrogance of something that doesn’t affect you, is constantly brewing.

So you come out with some genius conclusion, but it’s shaped like meat, 

Since when did an animal possess such body parts, that you’d rather not eat

Because if you dared to face the beast and slaughter it dead for your plate.

To see the blood roll down your conscience, it would no longer taste so great. 

But you like the truth hidden, presented clean and neat.

Because you don’t like to connect animals to the meat.

I’m doing this for the animals, and the future of this planet

But your selfish attitude to veganism, well you would rather ban it.

But i’m tired of meatsplaining, of correcting your assumption.

You are what you eat, and you’re not fit for human consumption.

Author, writer, poet, psychotherapist, professional swearer, dyspraxic and opinionated, words that define and illuminate qualities that feature within the personality of Cherry B. Straddling the Shakespearean themes of comedy and tragedy, teasing with laughter, then taunting those undesirables in society. One half of the unique Cherry & Peesh, who have embellished the punk ‘n folk scene with melodical tales and catchy tunes for the last decade. The duo released their latest album, Bigot’s Banquet, last year and Cherry B recently released her debut novel, Back To Square One.

Cherry B‘s debut collection of poetry and lyrics, Job Lot Of Rhymes, is available via Flapjack Press with a second volume in the pipeline. Job Lot Of Rhymes spans three decades of Cherry B’s performance work. Political, societal and inclusive, it is uncompromising and passionate punk ’n roll poetics firing from the belly of social conscience. Cherry B also appears on her monthly radio show on Louder Than War Radio, Poetry Is The New Rock ’N Roll, that offers an hour of lyric led, spoken versed, genre smashing, musical adventure into the exploration of hidden poetry, that is often camouflaged behind powerful rhythms and riffs.

Live photography from Cherry & Peesh live at NE Volume Bar on the 18th October by Mark Cartwright