The animals are what brought us here

So they have a place to forget fear

A haven safe from the world so bleak

From deeds we find it hard to speak

This world we built is safe and warm

A comfort from life’s raging storm

Though cold winds blow so harsh by night

Our animals have found the light

This place is just a stepping stone

To a new and happy loving home

Though some can’t be saved and are given sleep

They cross the rainbow bridge in love so deep

Our hearts are open night and day

And for each soul we simply pray

Find our haven safe and live

Our love forever will we give

At the moment I am sleeping – And I drift up out away

I feel your hands upon me – You are begging me to stay

I feel heavy in my heart – Your loneliness so clear

But I drift up out away – Though I still feel you near

I am standing on the river bed – In a place I know is home

Not the one you made for me – This one is just my own

My body feels so light – No more aches do I feel

I gaze up out away – Not a dream now, this is real

My old friends gather round me – I see mother and my kin

Her happiness bombards me – I feel her in my skin

I bound and play like old times – Chasing my delight

Forever in the sunshine – Forever in the light

Remember me please for I was once here

And you held me close to calm all my fear

Remember me please for I knew your smile

When your gaze held me long and I’d stare for a while

Remember me please for I knew your heart

And it took me in, right from the start

I remember you, the first human who cared

And I’ll never let go of those moments we shared

Forget the tears that you cried because I had to go

But remember you loved me, always let it show

While I may not remember my steps over that bridge

I carry on with my journey across this great ridge

I’ll remember your kindness in this happy place

And know you’ll never forget my sweet gentle face

For all of those we couldn’t save

We held you close and we were brave

For all of those whose time had come

We gave you hope where there was none

For all of those who couldn’t stay

We let you go and then we prayed

For all of you who had to cross

We felt the sadness of your loss

For all of you who now are free

Forever in our hearts you’ll be

Renegade Angel

Saving souls is your plight

In sadness find joy

In darkness find light

Renegade Angel

Your wings show their wear

Fight for the freedom

Of the ones in your care

Renegade Angel

You can’t save them all

But Renegade Angel

You can always stand tall

For without all your love

Just imagine the sorrow

You give them peace

And you give them tomorrow

He stood staring into the bleak beyond

Of a cold Alberta winter

And the barren and lonely field that stretched out before him

He felt the pain before he heard the sound

Deep cracking bone and torn ligament

The world went dark

He awoke staring into the deep abyss

Of the shelter he managed to crawl to

Deep damp and murky, just out of reach

Of those savage human hands that chased him there

So many nights before

He limped up and out of that life

Into a strange new world

Where savages were kind, food was abundant

And worry was a thing of his past

For one final moment he smiled and stared into the endless abyss

Where a warm and glowing bridge was just beyond his reach

He took his first steps without limp or pain

And danced merrily up and over across into the great beyond

The ladybug glides softly

Over the garden she protects

Carefully caressing

Each blossom she inspects

She’s such a loving miracle

Yet folks rarely know she’s there

She keeps a watchful eye

On the garden in her care

Her work and efforts tireless

To see these flowers bloom

Her spirit always cheerful

And never filled with gloom

The blooms they love the ladybug

For all the ways she cares

The flowers stand up tall and bright

Fueled by the love she shares

The warrior stood

On the edge of the bloodied battleground

Where she once raged

With the dark grey sky above her

And crimson black earth below

In the distance a battle still raged

And the slight hint of longing

Turned her eyes towards its cries

With a heavy heart she turned away

Knowing that nothing would ever compare

To the victories she once knew

But time and life moved on

So she carried her battle scarred body back

To the gentle green pasture

Of home

The path that stretched out before her remained unknown

But one thing was certain

The warrior’s heart would beat inside her

All the days of her life

Jump out of the truck

Knees almost buckle…maybe I am getting too old for this

Think of the ones we’ve saved

Keep moving

Notice the tiny girl on the driveway

Tattered dress, dirty face, sad eyes

Have you seen a doggie?   Her eyes flood with light

Through the shadows of what they have seen

Stretches her arm out – over there

We trudge through the mud – aware of the dark chill of the wind

Something moves beyond the house

Cautiously we approach – hurried anticipation of what awaits us

There she is, an emaciated, anxious female dog, curling into a ball

The only clue she is alive – her belly rises and falls faster on our approach

She attempts a growl, low and raw, but she is weak and tired

Belly extended she cowers and braces for what she fears

Human hands

Extend out to gently stroke her swollen pregnant belly

Now into the crate – away from this place

What is it to run free, be wild, have a home, be loved?

Jump back in the truck

Knees creak, keep moving, keep saving

Until there are none

One born in a home, to welcoming hands and gentle faces

Another born in a burned out car, abandoned in a field

One raised with his mother and siblings in a home filled with love

Another fighting for food, fighting for warmth, fighting for life

One watches each of this siblings leave for other homes with happy strangers

Another watches his brother, then his sister, then his mother wither away

One plays with toys and gets love from all around him

Another plays with metal shards in the discarded car

One lives out his days in happiness while the children around him grow

Another struggles every day, never even knowing the feeling of grass on his feet

Both leave this world and carry on over the rainbow bridge

One finds another and then run together with all the others

Into the field of dreams, the soft grass and endless love they all deserve