They used to notch our beaks as marks of
ownership. They used to carve until hot knife
hit pay dirt. You don’t think we’ve paid to be
where we are now? We might be gliding on
the Thames, but that’s climbing the ladder,
baby. Upward mobility. Our
great-great-great-great-great grandfathers
died for this, roasted alive, and it wasn’t
quick either, because they had to keep those
feathers looking pretty. Pure white, you
know. All the better to cut into at dinner,
crispy tail, collapsed wings, and we certainly
had no sympathy then. From you or any
other species. Tastes like chicken, the King
probably said. Go figure, though, people like
you think it’s easy. To stay where we are, on
top of the food chain, to keep groomed, to
keep quiet, to live up to our mute-swan
species title, even as our perfect throats and
bright teethed tongues ache from disuse.
Don’t try to talk to me about those
endangered swans from other ponds. You
don’t think we fought our way out of that
class too? Baby, we invented endangered. We
kept our poise. We’ve got the right to stay
uninvolved. Let’s see if you can sacrifice
what we did to be pampered like us now.
ownership. They used to carve until hot knife
hit pay dirt. You don’t think we’ve paid to be
where we are now? We might be gliding on
the Thames, but that’s climbing the ladder,
baby. Upward mobility. Our
great-great-great-great-great grandfathers
died for this, roasted alive, and it wasn’t
quick either, because they had to keep those
feathers looking pretty. Pure white, you
know. All the better to cut into at dinner,
crispy tail, collapsed wings, and we certainly
had no sympathy then. From you or any
other species. Tastes like chicken, the King
probably said. Go figure, though, people like
you think it’s easy. To stay where we are, on
top of the food chain, to keep groomed, to
keep quiet, to live up to our mute-swan
species title, even as our perfect throats and
bright teethed tongues ache from disuse.
Don’t try to talk to me about those
endangered swans from other ponds. You
don’t think we fought our way out of that
class too? Baby, we invented endangered. We
kept our poise. We’ve got the right to stay
uninvolved. Let’s see if you can sacrifice
what we did to be pampered like us now.
Anne Chen (she/her) is a rising senior from Chicago, Illinois