For All Animals

Could I name them all,
My kindred spirits?

Wolves,

Husky dogs,

Deer,
Kingfishers--
these thrill my soul.

Dolphins,
Swallows

gladden my heart;

Seahorses,

Giraffes
amuse, and

awe.

Yet why these?

Is not the grizzly as noble,

The hummingbird as graceful,

The kangaroo as queer?

Do we all have our favorites?

You prefer cheetahs, swans, and starfish--

What do they have

in common
one with another,

each with you?

Is the connection mere experience--

The swallows, when I was a boy, built nests
beneath the eaves

outside my bedroom window--
Or a matter of aesthetics?
But I know no giraffes in person...

Something speaks to us--
The wolf's wildness to me, perhaps
The starfish's symmetry to you--

Maybe a longing
For something missing
From our narrow lives,

Something important,

And terrific,
Which we cannot name,
Yet still recognize

within,
at the surging of our blood
When we,

by chance,
Spy a butterfly
Flutter past.

(This prayer/poem is from We Thank You, God, for These: Blessings and Prayers for Family Pets by Anthony F. Chiffolo and Rayner W. Hesse, Jr. Available from Paulist Press.)