Here’s to the creatures
that know how to love.
The morning birds
who leave their nests at night
just because the one they love
needed a wing to nestle under

The night owls
who leap out of bed
soaring to their companion’s side
just to sing good morning

The lions that keep their claws curled
so tightly away from their sweethearts
that the nails pierce like needles
into their own paws

The dogs that wait up all night
by the foggy moon lit windows
awaiting the return
of their adopted two-legged family

The otters that clasp the paws
of their darlings,
drifting with them down the stream
rather than alone in to heavy sleep

The animals, the mammals,
the dust, dirt, and air
the sway of the sea
the embrace of the sun
the breath of the trees
and the kisses of the petals

We were made to love selflessly.
We were born as gifts to keep giving
to the creatures around us.

No matter how many times
I am scratched and scared by the selfish humans that refuse to see something
other than their own reflections

No matter
The cheaters, the liars,
the ones with claws that don’t curl away
the ones that devour the hands that feed them
the humans who pay no mind
to the good in nature,
picking and pricking each other
with tongues of thorns
and fingers of fire

No matter
the empty promises
the wilted memories
the crumbled, half-hearted letters of apology

I choose
to give,
but not
to them