by Jerry K. Robbins
What if animals can stand apart
From themselves, circumspect
Even the lowly skink,
Look around themselves and reflect
“What am I to think?”
What if a horse’s plaintive neigh
Is his way of announcing
That life is more than
Running in circles
At the beck and call of man
What if an elephant coming across bones
That once were enfleshed and alive
Sees that these bones his form would fit
And shudders in fear of his own death
As he solemnly thinks about it
What if two bears in fierce combat
That for their very life they fight
Extinction, annihilation, ultimate demise
Are they sorrowed at this insight
What if the chirp of sparrows
And the melodies they sing
Are the birds’ venue for announcing
Their belief in life eternal
And not just the arrival of spring
We think man alone has these thoughts
But the problem is our language
We cannot with animals communicate
About their knowledge or their questions
Plumbing the depths of their own fate
If animals know as much as us
Then we should respect their concern
Help them with their worries mortal
Suggest life-end counseling and in turn
Offer them a decent burial
Jerry K. Robbins is a retired Lutheran campus pastor. He has written three books (published) and over 100 book reviews (published). In 1998 he was awarded the Joseph Sittler Award for Writing given by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Since retirement in 2000, he has devoted himself to writing about his family, his travel experiences, and writing 6 novellas about unorthodox clergy and church life. He enjoys reading, pen and ink drawing, and flying model airplanes.