Eyes Like Thunder

Eyes like thunder in an animal child,
a prelude to memories of her days
when she knew not the warmth of human touch.
Perhaps she sees the pictures
of hurts and hunger she used to know...
Her history is the streets, much too young
to live in the storm of life’s highways
needing shelter, needing comfort;
yet but a kitten, she is deprived of the care gleaned
from loving hands and a kind heart.
Fear used to live in these eyes
of darkness and incertitude; being a quick study
became a necessity of survival in this world
of predator and prey,
where suffering and fear are felt every day.
Human brings to animal abject dread,
and to some...terror, pain and abuse
remembered
in the fog of aloneness in such a vast
and uncaring world.
Let us be the ever vigilant guardians
of those unable to defend themselves as well as we...
Let us bring light to pits of shadow we have witnessed
that bring sorrow and cruelty to animals.
For if we pretend it does not exist;
turn a blind eye and deny that it is...
Then we too must accept and live with
our share of guilt; the knowing that we could
perhaps have made a difference....we didn’t even try -
turned our back on cruelty and let another animal die.

© Deborah L. Kelly