My dearest child!

I am a mother, your mother, and yet I was never really allowed to be a mother. Yes, I gave birth to you. It was the best day of my life. Before that, I just stood in the stable, chained, without ever being able to see the sun or let the wind blow around my nose. But then I realized that I was going to have a baby soon. You can’t imagine how happy I was. It wouldn’t change anything in my situation, but there would finally be someone I could look after. I wouldn’t be alone anymore.

Then the time came. You came out of my body. You lay helpless next to me, and I began to lick you off. I inhaled your smell. It was the most beautiful in the whole world. I was so infinitely happy. You and me, that was something very special from the start. I spoke to you, and you answered me. I would always have heard your voice among all the other babies. It was unique, just like you. Then you tried to stand up. You carefully got up on your feet. It worked. You were still quite shaky, but you didn’t fall over anymore. No, we wouldn’t be able to run around and play in the pasture, I was sure of that. People wouldn’t have allowed that, but it wasn’t so bad as long as we were together.

But the luck only lasted a short time because they came to get you. I felt stunned. First of all, people made sure that I had a baby only to take away from me. I didn’t understand, just that they threw you on a wheelbarrow and drove away with you. It almost broke my heart when I saw you being taken away. For the first time in my life, I started rioting. I had to get away from here, had to go to you. Desperate and armed with the power of love, I tore at my chain, but it was of no use. I wasn’t strong enough. The chain held and you were gone. From a distance I heard your plaintive calls, to which I answered. I could not believe it. Yes, the people locked me up here, but I never thought they could be so cruel. But I had seen it. I almost screamed my heart out for you. Day and night until I fell asleep from exhaustion. From then on they came every day and took away my milk, your milk. And slowly I began to understand. They separated us from each other to get the milk that is meant for you so that you can grow tall and strong. But why couldn’t they share it? It would have been enough there, as plump and full as my breasts felt, enough for them to do who knows what with them, and for you, my child. But they wanted everything to themselves. At some point there was only grief. What had become of you? You were a girl You would probably fare just as I did when you were old enough. If you had been a boy, they would have murdered you very quickly, because boys are of no value. They don’t give the milk that people want, milk that is meant for my baby. How much I wish that you could lead a different life than me. But to do this, people would have to stop drinking our milk from us. I’ve also heard that it’s not doing them any good. They do it anyway.

Then my breasts started to hurt. I had an udder infection that was so bad that they couldn’t use my milk anymore. Then I was led out of the stable. For the first time in my life, I was allowed to see the sun and let the wind blow around my nose, for the first and last time, because they had only taken me out of the stable to take me to the slaughterhouse, because I was nothing either value.

I’ve heard of people who advocate that the babies can stay with their mothers because they think the milk is for the children. I hope you will live to see that it will be so and that your children will not be taken away from you.

In love,
your mum

Go to part 2 here.