As The One Year Anniversary

Of Hurricane Katrina Approaches

I Salute My Many Compassionate Friends

Who Gave So Completely of Themselves

To Help Our Neighbors in So Much Need

“When we honestly ask ourselves

Which friends in our lives mean the most to us,

We often find it is those who,

Instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures,

Have chosen rather to share our pain,

And who touch our wounds,

With a warm and tender hand.”

Henri Nouwen

I spent many of my hours

Down on the Gulf Coast

At a truly marvelous place

One I now treasure the most

It was located down in rural Mississippi

About ninety miles north of New Orleans

And it contained hundreds of ‘left behind’ pets

Rescued from streets which were flooded and mean

And it also contained many dedicated people

Drawn like a magnet to these animals’ plight

Here I truly witnessed many incredible things

Here I saw people toiling both day and night

Here I saw hundreds of forlorn dogs and cats

Which were brought in each and every day

And here is where I saw them cared for

In a most loving and compassionate way

De-hydrated dogs and cats that were dying

Sick and injured animals so terribly weak

But each and every dedicated individual here

Made the plight of these pets a little less bleak

I made many truly wonderful friends here

And I witnessed reunions that were grand

When a joyous human found his dog or cat

When a joyous pet found its woman or man

And many of the truly dedicated souls here

Kept returning here time and time again like me

There was just something in these forlorn animals’ eyes

That for every animal rescuer here would last an eternity

©2006, Ed Kostro

An Excerpt from

Through Katrina’s Eyes,

Poems from an Animal Rescuer’s Soul,

The Book of the Month for August

At the North Shore Animal League,

Whose Compassionate Volunteers

Brought Over 1,200 ‘Left Behind’ Pets

Back to the state of New York,

And Who Found Every Last One of Them

A Loving New Home

For More Information

On the North Shore Animal League

Please Read My Accompanying Article

‘The World’s Largest ‘No-Kill’ Animal Shelter’

Or Click on the Link Below

Each of Us Truly Can Make a Difference

In So Many Areas of Life

If Only We Choose to Do So