Beef

By DJ

Beef

I had plenty of it while growing up
And ate so much one time I ended up throwing up
I’ve lost family members to it because I wouldn’t budge
Not realizing a hamburger shouldn’t hold a grudge

The definition of this word is not fit for our task
Even though we use it to hide behind our masks
To understand my view of beef you would have to be a contrarian
Because I would pray for all of my friends to be vegetarian

Finally, sometimes this meat consumes us all
I can hear anyone else’s story and understand their fall
I control my thoughts and actions now that I understand
And beef when it is rancid will no longer dictate my plans

24 Comments

  1. kassidilenae on June 5, 2020 at 6:15 PM

    DJ,

    Thank you for sharing your work. I love the metaphor you are making with beef. You speak to how holding grudges and harboring resentment can consume us. Negative relationships can turn us into someone we are not. We must continue to strive for peace through grace with one another.

    Keep writing!

  2. Domenica Calderon on June 5, 2020 at 9:44 PM

    You do an amazing job of using beef, an object, to refer to anger. At the end of the poem it all comes together and it explains what “beef” is and why we should not have it so much. It should be something that people choose not something that they are given. From my own interpretation, I think this means not letting other’s anger and actions change who we are as people.You do a great job of explaining this and drawing a picture for the reader.
    This made me feel inspired to work towards not letting other’s opinions and actions affect my own actions, thoughts and feelings.

    I would suggest that you add more to the “vegetarian” line, explain what that means to you, and how it relates to beef. Why do you pray for vegetarians and how that will affect the last lines of the poem.

    This is an excellent start, and has the potential to be a really excellent poem. I hope you keep on writing and using your creativity to spread a message like the one in “Beef”

  3. Tara Libert on June 7, 2020 at 5:08 PM

    The poet is referring to “Beef” which is a term used to describe a conflict between neighborhoods that can lead to violence. Free Minds staff.

  4. gracemarshblog on June 13, 2020 at 4:44 PM

    Thank you for the poem. I thought it was very cleverly written and very illustrative of your experiences and emotions. Good job and keep writing.

  5. Emmaley Silva on June 14, 2020 at 10:05 AM

    DJ, Thank you for writing this poem. You use the metaphor of “the beef” both cleverly and also poignantly. As you say in the poem, beef can literally kill people, can make people sick, but you also talk about your awakening to the power of letting the anger and beef go, not letting it run your life. From one poet to another, keep writing because you have power over the pen, and the truth you’re telling in the poem shows poetry can do a lot of good for you and others. Blessings and love to you!

  6. Jaycee Silva on June 19, 2020 at 1:28 PM

    I like the “beef” metaphor. Great words.

  7. HJ on June 19, 2020 at 6:03 PM

    I really like this. I almost feel like beef is a metaphor for something else, especially what is happening in our world right now. Thank you for sharing your work.

  8. Catherine on June 23, 2020 at 7:59 AM

    This is a really beautiful metaphor for life – knowing how we want to live our lives is one thing, but actually doing it is so much harder. Decisions are always part of a larger context – the institutional and social pressures, balancing the desire for short-term satisfaction versus long-term happiness… even if you know what you want, it’s hard to make that real. It sounds like you’re feeling more empowere to take control – so happy to hear that.

  9. Jessica on June 24, 2020 at 4:09 PM

    DJ, this poem is brilliant! I love that beef has a double-meaning here, and you thread the extended metaphor through the poem with such expertise. The title + the first two lines absolutely knocked me out! I hope to read more of your poems in the future. Your voice is clear and powerful. Thank you for this.

  10. Claire on June 26, 2020 at 2:51 PM

    What you have written conveys how “beef” can be all-consuming and debilitating in so many ways. Thank you for sharing this thoughtful and eloquent poem.

  11. insertalreadytakentitlehere on June 28, 2020 at 4:34 AM

    Love the play on words. Or shall I say, beefy or meaty?!

  12. MC on June 29, 2020 at 4:58 PM

    This poem is interesting from just the title. Beef is known to be a food. However, in popular culture, beef is a grudge that someone may have towards someone or something. I like how this poem has an aspect of today’s culture. I also enjoy the rhymes at the end of the lines. My favorite rhyme is the “contrarian-vegetarian” rhyme. Overall, I also like the message of the story on how we shouldn’t hold onto “beef” we have with each other because it can ruin relationships. I like the use of rhymes and I think if you made every line have a rhyme, the poem would have a fun rhythm to it.

  13. Angela on September 29, 2020 at 8:38 PM

    This poem made me smile. I know that the topic being discussed is heavy, but I really appreciated the light tone to the poem.

  14. Bryan on October 20, 2020 at 8:02 PM

    Awesome poem. I loved the first stanza of relating the edible beef to the feeling of having beef. The rhyme scheme was also good. I enjoy how one can interpret this however deep they seem fit. Really great writing, good job!

  15. kennedi on October 26, 2020 at 11:51 PM

    This poem is so good. It is kind of comical and emotional at the same time. I like how you used the word “beef” and explained it in the ways that you saw it as. Keep up the good work!! ›

  16. T. on October 28, 2020 at 3:05 PM

    Hello DJ,
    The imagery and play on words in this poem was fantastic. I definitely partake in too much beef sometimes. The rhyme and flow of the poem was fantastic and the final stanza was very uplifting and hopeful. May we all step back from beef, even just once in a while…
    I hope you continue to write such awesome poetry.

  17. Carolyn on October 30, 2020 at 3:02 PM

    DJ, I really enjoyed your play on words and the hidden meaning when you first started. Your ability to use the common thought someone may have of a word and turn it into a story is beautiful. I especially liked your line “Because I would pray for all of my friends to be vegetarian”. On the surface, it gives a tone of humor to the poem, but when it is read with the remainder of the poem, it speaks to a deeper level of desire for change and a hope for a better tomorrow. This was an amazing poem!

  18. Gretch on November 11, 2020 at 3:32 PM

    DJ,
    Your poem has caught me off guard in a good way. I was expecting to read a poem about an argument, as ‘beef’ is colloquially used in my experience to say that you have a conflict with someone. However, your relationship with actual beef has caused me to think introspectively about my relationship with food. Your compassion and empathy for animals is beautiful and compelling. “Finally, sometimes this meat consumes us all.” Wow. I wish this to be thought about by many more individuals.

  19. Natalie D. on November 11, 2020 at 5:48 PM

    DJ, the way you give beef a double meaning in the context of your poem is fire! Here you have the meat we eat mirrored with the unresolved issues we have with others that can get us into some unwanted trouble. Also, your use of the AABB rhyme scheme was perfect for this piece. Pure bars!

  20. Clifford on November 20, 2020 at 5:10 PM

    Dj the way you used hamburger meat to translate into violence was incredible. Great transition.

  21. Danielle on April 16, 2021 at 7:18 PM

    Dear DJ,
    I really liked that through the stanzas you used words that rhymed to end the lines and at the end you didn’t. I think it shows that you are not going to be what people expect of you, which is very beautiful. For me, I make up a lot of ‘beef’ in my head, when there is really nothing there, which is something that I really need to work on. I have to learn that everyone isn’t out to get me and they are just living their lives, and if someone does have ‘beef’ with me, I need to accept it and not let it consume me.

    Lovely words, Danielle

  22. Ayzhiana Basallo on April 24, 2021 at 4:55 PM

    I like how you use something and indirectly but also directly talk about it. I feel that that same thing we consume can also destroy us in a way. I feel that we are people of consumption and that we need to be more in control and that comes from within, it starts from what we feed ourselves.

  23. JE on February 27, 2022 at 6:54 PM

    DJ,
    Your poem really spoke to me. I have held grudges against others for far longer than I should have and I wish that I didn’t. I too wish that we were all vegetarians so that we wouldn’t have all this beef. Your meat/violence metaphor was brilliant.
    JE

  24. Justin Lambert on July 19, 2022 at 3:43 PM

    I would be lying if I said I expected to go into poem about beef to actually be about beef. You have presented a sincerely compelling argument about why going vegetarian would be beneficial for us all. I am not quite there yet, but maybe one day in the future I will be.

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