Flowers from Life
“The flowers have bloomed! We did it!” We shouted with joy/when we saw the yellow and orange marigolds/that we had been looking after. We were studying animal science. So why did we grow flowers?
Everything started two years earlier. In our first year,/we all lived in a dormitory. We got up at six,/and cleaned the smelly cowshed and chicken cages. We were proud of doing these tasks/to raise living creatures.
The toughest and most shocking lesson/was butchering chickens. “Work quickly!” Our teachers ordered us/as we followed their directions. In the end,/we cooked and ate the poultry. And we understood the true meaning of “Itadakimasu.”
In our second year,/we visited an animal shelter. A staff member explained,/“Last year/some 1,150 dogs were brought here. About 350 were returned/or given to new owners. The remaining 800 dogs were put down.”
We couldn’t make sense of the numbers. We understood/that there were inevitable reasons,/but humans were to blame/for most of the deaths.
The next institution was cold and ugly. A veterinarian calmly explained her job,/then broke into tears. In a trembling voice,/she said,/“We don’t need places like this!” She had become a vet/to save lives,/but her work was the opposite.
Outside,/we saw sacks of bones/for garbage pick-up.
The next day,/after school,/we didn’t feel like leaving soon.
“I hate them/being thrown out like garbage.”
“What can we do?”
“Pounded animal bones can be used as fertilizer.”
“Who would eat vegetables grown/with bone fertilizer?”
“What about flowers?” This is how/five of us started the “Flowers from Life” project.
In April of our final year,/two sacks of bones arrived. It was hard to break them. Trowels didn’t work,/so we used bricks. Day after day/we continued in silence. “Crushing the bones of dead dogs.... What are we doing?!”
Three weeks later,/we had enough fertilizer/and planted marigold seeds. We hoped our “flowers from life” would bloom!
Soon sprouts appeared. We watered them carefully. The flowers bloomed/as if the dogs had returned.
In May,/we gave a presentation/on “Flowers from Life”/at an event. We took our marigolds/with a sticker on each pot:/“Project for Zero Killing.” We explained/how difficult and heartbreaking it was/to crush bones. When we finished talking,/people came one by one and asked,/“Could I have a plant?”
We gave away every flower! We felt happy to think/that we could hand over “the baton of life”/to many people.
The younger students at our school/have taken over this project. It will take time,/but we believe/more people will become aware,/and fewer animals will suffer.
“The flowers have bloomed! We did it!” We shouted with joy/when we saw the yellow and orange marigolds/that we had been looking after. We were studying animal science. So why did we grow flowers?
Everything started two years earlier. In our first year,/we all lived in a dormitory. We got up at six,/and cleaned the smelly cowshed and chicken cages. We were proud of doing these tasks/to raise living creatures.
The toughest and most shocking lesson/was butchering chickens. “Work quickly!” Our teachers ordered us/as we followed their directions. In the end,/we cooked and ate the poultry. And we understood the true meaning of “Itadakimasu.”
In our second year,/we visited an animal shelter. A staff member explained,/“Last year/some 1,150 dogs were brought here. About 350 were returned/or given to new owners. The remaining 800 dogs were put down.”
We couldn’t make sense of the numbers. We understood/that there were inevitable reasons,/but humans were to blame/for most of the deaths.
The next institution was cold and ugly. A veterinarian calmly explained her job,/then broke into tears. In a trembling voice,/she said,/“We don’t need places like this!” She had become a vet/to save lives,/but her work was the opposite.
Outside,/we saw sacks of bones/for garbage pick-up.
The next day,/after school,/we didn’t feel like leaving soon.
“I hate them/being thrown out like garbage.”
“What can we do?”
“Pounded animal bones can be used as fertilizer.”
“Who would eat vegetables grown/with bone fertilizer?”
“What about flowers?” This is how/five of us started the “Flowers from Life” project.
In April of our final year,/two sacks of bones arrived. It was hard to break them. Trowels didn’t work,/so we used bricks. Day after day/we continued in silence. “Crushing the bones of dead dogs.... What are we doing?!”
Three weeks later,/we had enough fertilizer/and planted marigold seeds. We hoped our “flowers from life” would bloom!
Soon sprouts appeared. We watered them carefully. The flowers bloomed/as if the dogs had returned.
In May,/we gave a presentation/on “Flowers from Life”/at an event. We took our marigolds/with a sticker on each pot:/“Project for Zero Killing.” We explained/how difficult and heartbreaking it was/to crush bones. When we finished talking,/people came one by one and asked,/“Could I have a plant?”
We gave away every flower! We felt happy to think/that we could hand over “the baton of life”/to many people.
The younger students at our school/have taken over this project. It will take time,/but we believe/more people will become aware,/and fewer animals will suffer.