Jungle Judge Justice is a hard-hitting analysis of the connection between racism and sexism and speciesism through a series of an animal rights based poetry. The analysis of the subjects is not for those faint of heart and mind. The poetry ranges from the A to Z of all aspects of animal abuse and every subject between in the vast abacus of our abuse. Each one is intended to be a fading shooting star still faintly visible to each naked soul. The poetry explores in story and verse a running river of anthropology to zoology including from abattoirs to zoos and why our environment is dying whilst our seas have the Blues.

Jungle Judge Justice is a tough call as poetry books go as the poems cover contemporary issues and historical and likely future abuse with a gimlet eye. The poems consider aspects of our world as a prison for animals much as it has been for many vulnerable people throughout our history such as women burned at the stake as witches along with their black cats. In that prison the poems do not shy away from tackling matters within our vision yet often avoided including badger culling, eating animals, fox hunting, ritual slaughter, slavery and vivisection. A somewhat unusual type of cattle-market, which might take some readers off-guard, is considered: it is a little known quasi-legal practice of men selling their unwanted property to the highest bidder. The ‘cattle-market’ practice was adopted by men to dispose of their unwanted goods: For the dumping of the abandoned items/By ugly double-chinned pot-bellied men/Bullying drunkard philandering husbands/Whose vainglory keeps their ego trip alive…: What Am I Bid.

There is the odd tinge of humour here and there throughout the text especially with ‘Paulo the Pussyfooter’ which is a tribute to my magnificent favourite feline forever friend whose nocturnal activities caused so much nightly concerned joy and unexpected gifts. Paulo spread such an innocent mixed message that exuded natural happiness for all who knew her, it was enough to want to petition for her penchant to be a real life cat-burglar to become strictly legal.

Our lame leaders and other useless figures of supposed authority who believe that animals and people are just disposal units are challenged head-on with no ready-made easy escape from their unpalatable excuses and maleficent lies. A much worse spectacle of serial killers who graduate from abusing animals is examined in several poems. Similarly a serious subject that cannot be glossed over is the link between child abuse and elder abuse and animal abuse. Each subject is analysed however harsh the extant truth in an attempt to reveal the falsehood within our pale refractive biased mirror.

All in all the points made eloquently by Alice Walker and Abraham Lincoln respectively are dealt with in depth and detail:

The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites or women for men. [AW]

I am in favour of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being.

I care not much for a man’s religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it. [AL]

The roots and routes of racism and sexism and speciesism are considered from many angles yet all guided by the trust that in the end the two related concepts that will prevail over all others are justice and truth. Given the tyranny over people in our modern world exemplified by dictators and megalomaniacs, we are driven to face the ‘Time-bomb Heart’ of deluded humans towards all animals. The idea captivated within that poem of the killing hills meandering over country roads enjoyed by us over the animal kingdom leads to a Putinesque belief that we can do whatever we wish whenever we wish to whosoever we wish: ‘It’s a beautiful day. Let’s go out and murder truth.’

Such a feeling springs from page-after-page of Jungle Judge Justice. The concentration throughout is on ‘rights’ rather than merely ‘welfare’ as who among us would ever choose to be subject to a Human Welfare Act as compared to a Human Rights Act? No one alive would wish to have less legal rights. Indeed the comparison between the concepts of rights and welfare illuminate how and why we choose to abuse animals.

All that Jungle Judge Justice asks of any reader is that they approach the poems with an open mind and a heart to match. No poem will forgive the faint-hearted yet might touch one who looks into the eyes of another animal and sees their own reflection. Each will be enough to exceed any reach into a dormant soul. Each will allow the reader to peer past our prejudicial prism to see the sophism yet grasp the pain of the echoed roar and rasp of speciesism.

A prescient comment was made by a reader of a poem about killing lawyers: ‘I enjoyed your poem. It was amusing and deep. Excellent!’

Here is the first of the four verses:

The First Thing we do is let’s Kill all the Lawyers
The animals figured enough was enough
No longer prepared to accept such stuff
Now the gloves were well and truly off
Way past the time to start playing rough
So all at once the whippoorwill
Gave a shrill no tongue could quell
Every last one in the crowded Courtroom
Gathered all their strength together
They knew it was now or never
Their lives could only be saved
If they were prepared to sever
The complete caboodle tongues of liars
By taking a lesson from Shakespeare:
The first thing we do is let’s kill all the lawyers

Please note that Jungle Judge Justice is now available:

(i) as an e-book on Kobo;
(ii) as an e-book on Amazon;
(iii) as a paperback book on Amazon.

At present the hardback edition can be ordered via the Contact Form: afjj8905@tznvy.pbz

 

REVIEWS

Thought provoking and at times uncomfortable reading. Jungle Judge Justice is not for the faint hearted poetry lover. It’s for truth seekers and those who enjoy being challenged when they read.  The poems are not of fairy tales but remind us how life is lived by so many whether consciously or through circumstance.  I would suggest at least one book to every household would make this world a better place!
Joanne S., Director of Glastonbury Radio.

The poems in Jungle Judge Justice are hard hitting as always. ‘A Creed for Claudette Colvin’ reminds me of the first time I read Steinbeck’s account of Ruby Bridges walking to school.
Ana S., an author and environmental activist.