Rescue Poems & Prose #2
It Matters To Me
As I walked along the seashore
This young boy greeted me.
He was tossing stranded starfish
Back to the deep blue sea.
I said "Tell me why you bother,
Why you waste your time this way.
There's a million stranded starfish
Does it matter, anyway?"
And he said, "It matters to this one.
It deserves a chance to grow.
It matters to this one.
I can't save them all I know.
But it matters to this one,
I'll return it to the sea.
It matters to this one,
And it matters to me."
I walked into the shelter,
The owner greeted me.
She was helping Misty learn to trust.
She was struggling I could see.
I said, "Tell me why you bother,
Why you waste your time this way.
Misty's only one of thousands,
Does it matter anyway?"
And she said, "It matters to this one.
She deserves a chance to grow.
It matters to this one.
I can't save them all I know.
But it matters to this one,
I'll help her be what she can be.
It matters to this one,
And it matters to me.
Dedicated To Rescuers
(in
honor of Patchie)
Once I was a lonely dog, Just looking for a home.
I had no place to go, No one to call my own.
I wandered up and down the streets, in rain in heat and snow.
Ate whatever I could find, I was always on the go.
My skin would itch, my feet were sore, My body ached with pain.
And no one stopped to give a pat, Or to gently say my name.
I never saw a loving glance, I was always on the run.
For people thought that hurting me was really lots of fun.
And then one day I heard a voice, So gentle, kind and sweet,
And arms so soft reached down to me, And took me off my feet.
"No one again will hurt you, Was whispered in my ear."
"You'll have a home to call your own, where you will know no fear."
"You will be dry, you will be warm, you'll have enough to eat."
"And rest assured that when you sleep, your dreams will all be sweet."
I was afraid I must admit, I've lived so long in fear.
I can't remember when I let, A human come so near.
And as she tended to my wounds, And bathed and brushed my fur
She told me about the rescue group, And what it meant to her.
She said, "We are a circle, A line that never ends."
"And in the center there is you protected by new friends."
"And all around you are the ones that check the pounds,
And those that share their home after you've been found."
"And all the other folk are searching near and far.
"To find the perfect home for you, where you can be a star."
She said, "There is a family, that's waiting patiently,
and pretty soon we'll find them, just you wait and see."
"And then they'll join our circle, they'll help to make it grow,
so there'll be room for more like you, who have no place to go."
I waited very patiently, The days they came and went.
Today's the day I thought, my family will be sent.
Then just when I began to think, It wasn't meant to be,
there were people standing there just gazing down at me.
I knew them in a heartbeat, I could tell they felt it too.
They said, "We have been waiting for a special dog like you."
Now every night I say a prayer to all the gods that be.
"Thank you for the life I live and all you've given me.
But most of all protect the dogs in the pound and on the street.
And send a rescue person to lift them off their feet."
-- Arlene Pace
The Four Phases
by Douglas Fakkema
Those of us who work on behalf of and who dedicate our lives to animals
go through four phases in our career evolution. As we are unique, so are our individual stories, but we all go through a similar process, and
if we survive that process go on to understand that we have achieved what we wanted in the first place.
PHASE ONE
Red hot and raring to go, we are out to change the world. We are high on life. We know we can make a difference, that our efforts on behalf
of animals will ease their plight. We work what seems like 25-hour days yet are energized. Our enthusiasm overflows, our capacity for
challenges is limitless. We eat, sleep and live in the cause for animals. Our friends don't understand our obsession and turn away or
just fade away, and we let them for we meet new ones. Some of us though don't make new friends, we're too busy working for animals. Some of us
become loners with only our canine or feline companions to keep us from total isolation but we're content because we have a cause. In our zeal,
we tend to affix simple solutions to complex problems - every animal should be sterilized or no animal should be euthanized. We're often
late because we try to rescue animals from highways and streets. We think we understand the problem and we know we can fix it if only people
would get out of our way.
PHASE TWO
Our phase one enthusiasm has turned sour, the bubble bursts and we crash and burn. We see the same people coming into the shelter with yet
another litter - they haven't heard our message. We continue to euthanize, there seems no end to it. Even our friends - those we still
have left - don't understand us. We can't seem to reach anyone. Animals are still abused and neglected, their plight seems unchanged
despite all our efforts. We've lost the boundless energy that characterizes Phase One. We no longer wish to talk about work, don't
even want to admit where we work. We're tired all the time. We go home from work, lock the doors, turn out the lights, turn off the answering
machine and close the window blinds. We're too exhausted to cook so we scarf fast food, pizza, potato chips or chocolate. Some of us buy
useless objects we can't afford. Some of us turn to alcohol for it takes away our feelings of hopelessness. We ignore our families and
even our pets get less attention than we know is right. We seem powerless to affect any of the changes that drove us to such
ecstasies of dedication in Phase One. We have become horrified by the work we have to do. Even our dreams are filled with the horror. Every animal
we take in, every animal we euthanize is yet another nail in our coffin of defeat. Somehow we're to blame for all our failure and it's
destroying us. Raise the shields Scotty, the Klingons are on our tail! Our shield gets thicker and thicker. It blocks the pain and the sadness
and makes our life somehow tolerable. We continue on because every now and then we get a spark of Phase One energy.
PHASE THREE
Our phase two depression has turned outward and we're mad as hell. Hopelessness turns to rage. We begin to hate people, any people and all
people unless, like our co-workers, they dedicate their lives to animals the way we do. We even hate our co-workers if they dare question us -
especially about euthanasia. It occurs to us, let's euthanize the owners, not the pets. Let's take everyone who abuses an animal or even
surrenders an animal and euthanize them instead. Our rage expands to our out-of-work life. That guy in front of us on the highway, the one
who's in our way, euthanize him too. We rage at politicians, television, newspapers, our family. Everyone is a target for our anger,
scorn and derision. We have lost our perspective and effectiveness. We're unable to connect with life. Even the animals we come in contact
with seem somehow distant and unreal. Anger is the only bridge to our humanness. It's the only thing that penetrates our shield.
PHASE FOUR
Gradually, and over time, the depression of Phase Two and the anger of Phase Three become replaced with a new determination and understanding
of what our mission really is. It is big picture time. We realize that we have been effective - locally and in some cases regionally and even
nationally. So we haven't solved the problem - who could - but we have made a difference with dozens, even hundreds and sometimes thousands of
animals. We have changed the way others around us view animals. We begin to see our proper place in our own community and we begin to see
that we are most effective when we balance our work and out-of-work lives. We realize that work is not our whole world and that if we pay
attention to our personal lives, we can be more effective at work. We understand that some days we work 14 hours and some days we knock it off
after only 8. We take vacations and we enjoy our weekends. We come back refreshed and ready to take on daily challenges. We see that all
people are not bad. We understand that ignorance is natural and in most cases curable. Yes, there are truly awful people who abuse and neglect
animals but they are a minority. We don't hate them. When we find them we do all we can to stop them from hurting animals. We recognize that
the solutions are just as complex as the problems and bring a multitude of tools to the problem at hand and use them any way we can and we begin
to see results - one small step at a time. We reconnect with the animals. Our shields come down. We understand that sadness and pain
are a part of our job. We stop stuffing our feelings with drugs, food or isolation. We begin to understand that our feelings of anger,
depression and sadness are best dealt with if we recognize them and allow them to wash over and past us. We recognize our incredible
potential to help animals. We are changing the world.
I've noticed that some people get frozen in Phase One (the zealots), or Two (the zombies), or Three (the misanthropes). Some shift back and
forth between Two and Three and even between Four and Three or Four and Two. Many leave animal work during Phase Two or Three, never to
return. Some seem to move rapidly to Phase Four, while for others it takes years and years. Some never get a sense of peace to go along with
our purpose, they work their entire lives on the frantic pink cloud of phase one or depressed or angry. I know I've been in all four phases in
25 years in animal protection. Can the journey from Phase One to Four be speeded up? Can we avoid the pain, discomfort and agony that goes
with the journey? I wish I knew.
Taking care of Rescue Dogs
Taking care of Rescue dogs
Is something I do best.
I know because I've done it,
And I've surely passed the test.
The dogs I've bathed, the food I've fed,
The vacuuming I've done,
And all to watch a frightened soul
Sit dreaming in the sun.
My own dogs I've neglected,
But I tell them every day,
That I love and cherish each of them
Though a new dog's come to stay.
I know they understand this,
For in their eyes I see
The love that I have given them
Come shining back at me.
Some people think I'm crazy,
Some others think I'm great.
But very few can understand
What really is at stake.
If I can love and help a dog
To find a better way,
My own life is much richer,
I look forward to each day.
So now you know my secret,
It's there for all to see.
The love I give, the life I save,
I do it all for ME.
-- Kathleen Parsons