maydanae

Sardines on Pizza

Today I had Sardines for the first time

And frankly I enjoyed it

Oil, salt, smoke, but not too extreme

A truly fishy cleanse to the palette 

I say this because it\'s seafood, you know what I mean

Afterwards a simple thought came to my head:

Wow, this probably would be good on a pizza

Yet nowadays, so many say the opposite

They say things like:

\"Sardines don\'t look or speak like they belong on pizza\" or

\"Sardines are criminals and without a doubt

 they are part of the fish gangs I\'ve been reading about\" or

\"If we let the Sardines stay on this pizza they\'ll take

all the jobs that we make for the other hard-working toppings\"

Approval droppings are near, I fear

Yet they cheer when the chefs start to pack the sardines

into cramped tin cans with little space to move freely

Fueled by the low blows, the chefs place the tin cans

On the highest shelves near the back

Resources: what the cans lack.

Sardines are prone to attacks while the backs

Of customers heads are below

It\'s a no-show when it\'s for sure

Violations of rights

No criminal record. No warning. No warrant. No escape. 

The fight has only begun

The bell has been rung yet the chimes of the signs have been there

Yet where were we?

Here? There? Lost in our own separate orders it seems

An ignorant bliss concealed in tomatoes and cheese

But do the Sardines really deserve this?

Maybe they just needed to swim far from the perils of the sea

And seek refuge on the warm crust of an oven-baked treat

And what about pineapple?

Other toppings alike?

Different toppings pushed off the table in spite

Of all the progress that has been made

To allow all toppings to have a seat at that table

Why have a say on what makes a good pizza

When pizza was never yours to patent

This is not a matinee where you say

Anything that you please

When the pleas of those impacted

Are muffled amongst

the bustling sounds of the restaurant

Because the words of the customer

Spit out between bites

Takes priority over toppings\' choice

Despite the point of the pizza

being the toppings themselves

Adding flavor to an otherwise bland, doughy vessel

But maybe that\'s all just one slice of the pie

That life doesn\'t have to be so cut and dry

And maybe I don\'t want to have to pretend

That I\'m doing the most

Because in the end

It shouldn\'t only be

the Sardines of this world that are screaming

For an end to injustice

And just in case anyone didn\'t pick up

What I\'m throwing down, I\'m going down that road

And no I don\'t regret it

No not one bit

I\'m tired of silence

I\'m tired of bliss

I\'m tired of Sardines being treated like shit

I\'m tired of being told I should \"just ignore it\"

And I\'ll say what I say

As I see fit

Because pizza needs toppings

But toppings don\'t need it

I want to stand up

I want to speak out

I want to take action without living in doubt

And first I\'ll start here

Talking about Sardines

But I hope I\'ll work my way up to bakeries

And keep speaking to people who look like me

Who may not know what is happening with these Sardines

Or who may be misinformed and see them as fiends

Because pizza is better with toppings galore

A variety at hand, have less or have more

But no group of toppings are worse

than yours that you chose

And neither are people,

but with people there\'s more to lose