Too Many!

I am jaded, I admit.
Having seen too much of man's inhumanity
Toward all creatures great and small,
I often despair that  we, the so called "higher species," ever rising above
Our basic natures.

I am hardened, I confess.
Having witnessed so much unnecessary suffering
The result of the selfish ignorance & cruelty which
We so easily justify without conscience because we were
Mistakenly given dominion over the weak.

I am angry, I must say.
So sick in the deepest reaches of my soul That man, with so many
resources at his command
Has yet to end the needless deaths of those whom dominion gives us
Duty to provide for and protect.

Too many! Far too many have I seen!

Too many kittens trapped, doused and set ablaze.
Too many puppies dumped from truck windows along lonely country roads.
Too many cats, unwanted, unloved, forming their own societies-
increasing their own numbers without cease.
Too many hounds lying without shade or water- twenty to a tiny pen,
beaten and forgotten should they refuse to run.
Too many herders shot through with arrows and left to die- in the field
where the calf bolted.
Too many workers, beaten with sticks to make them sharp and violent and
mistrustful.
Too many horribly scarred fighters, bloodied in forced battles then
discarded when they can no longer win.
Too many tiny ones, tossed across rooms- hitting walls, thumping broken
to the floor. Too many breeders living in squalor in tiny wire-bottom
boxes- never to know a gentle hand.
Too many too starved to stand without trembling, shying from the next
bullet or kick yet still patiently awaiting their master's return.
Too many millions each year born unwanted only to face death- in cold
chambers, struggling in fear, retching painfully as the air in their
bodies is replace by poison, starving them for breath.

Oh yes, I am jaded, hardened, angry and sick to the very depths of my
soul--
Brows furrow, eyes glare, fists clench,
my spirit weeps in impotent rage!

And then........

I am humbled, it is true.
Having witnessed the few endeavoring against all the odds
To change the plight of the hungry, the homeless, the injured, the
unwanted
Ever rising toward man's most shining example of selflessness.
I stand in awe of what we together can accomplish.

I am given hope-and joy!
As I reach down to rub my fingers through the furry miracle lying at my
feet.
This golden colored pup, found suckling his dead mother's teat at
barely seven days old,
Rescued, nursed and protected by another, and now
Grown strong, trusting, healthy and proud. Living without fear because
one out of thousands rightfully understood
Her dominion over the weak.

I am warmed, I must say.
At the memory of a strong man before me just yesterday
Holding one of my tiny ones so tenderly in his massive arms,
His wife's eyes alight with excitement and protective love
Seeing not the bald patches of skin still healing
But seeing instead the frightened but beautiful soul
Beneath the growl,
They soothe her fear into hopeful kisses.
You are my hope, my inspiration, my courage, my conviction to go on when
I find myself so jaded, hardened, angry & soul sick that I would abandon
this unending battle we fight together.

It is you, my chosen family, who give me hope and joy, and laughter and
support and the strength to go on.
I am deeply honored and humbled to be amongst you.

written by RJ Decker 10-23-00