Why Do Dogs Leave Earth First?

Through The Eyes Of A 6 Year Old

The young boy seemed so calm,
petting his old dog for the last time.
They wondered if he understood
what was going on.
Within a few minutes,
the dog slipped peacefully away.
The little boy seemed to accept
the dog’s transition without
any difficulty or confusion.
They sat together
for a long while after the death,
wondering aloud about the sad fact
that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
The boy, who had been listening quietly,
piped up, “I know why.”
Startled, they all turned to him.
What came out of his
mouth next stunned them.
They never heard a
more comforting explanation.
And from then on,
it had changed the way
they tried to live.
He said, “People are born so that
they can learn how to live a good life—
like loving everyone and
being good all the time, right?”
The six year old continued,
“Well, dogs already know how to do that,
so they don’t have to stay as long.”

-Imani

The Helpless Friend

The young creature came unto my window sill hurt,
looking for love and care.
As far as I could see,
it seemed to be lost and desperately needed food.
Its cry for help went straight to my heart,
but I could not give it the care that it needed.
My love would not be enough to save it,
the small creature needed its mother.
In vain I tried to save it,
I did everything I could, but nothing worked.
Its cry was the only thing,
that gave me hope for its recovery.
But slowly its cry became faint,
until it had disappeared.
The creature was given a simple burial.
And on top of the mound,
I put flowers and small pebbles around it,
so that it would not be forgotten.
The ground must have thought
it was raining that day, but there was no rain;
there was not a single cloud in the sky.
There were only the tears coming from my eyes,
the tears that the Earth was drinking up.
I looked up at the heavens and prayed
never again to be the helpless friend.

-Imani