Have a Heart for the Wild

A heart for the wild beats strong inside of me
In every pair of frightened eyes I see my soul,
They arrive from everywhere, rescued with loving care
And have come into my hands to be made whole

Each spring and summer I feed babies who are orphaned
And injuries are cared for every day
At times a wild one will part, and it always breaks my heart
But I was here to care for them some final way

There are months as babies thrive while I'm exhausted
And times it feels my efforts are in vain
But when the day comes to let them go, In my heart I always know
They are worth every moment of my time and all the pain

For those who do not understand my mission;
Why choose a life that is so often tough?
I ask you see it through my eyes, these miracles in disguise
And that no matter what I give, its not enough

Our wild ones were here long before,
the people landed boats upon the shore
We survived upon their meat, having little else to eat
And now they don't hold value any more

So I ask how could we not provide them haven?
And I ask why we use them primarily for sport?
They spread the seeds that grow our trees and survive with distant ease
So why can we not give them our support?

They are never in our way, we are in theirs
Their pattens are all ancient and unchanged
They are going about their day, much the same in every way
It is us that invaded their home and rearranged

We owe them restitution for their space
At least some of what we have to help them grow
Hang a feeder in your yard when the weather makes it hard
For a bird to find a meal beneath the snow

There are not more wild animals than there used to be
They are simply running out of room to feed and hide
We have forced them from their home, having little space to roam
They forage, hunt and live now at our side

When trees are cut and roads and homes are built
And orphans are created for the loss
It is not "nature taking place", she didn't destroy anything for space
A rehabilitator will spend the time and pay the cost

So when you meet a squirrel that isn't quite afraid
Or raccoons and skunks move in to steal your feed
Respect their right to share your space, know they have evolved into this place
Because they sacrificed their homes to fill your need

Written from a wild heart by:
Annette King, Animal Rescuer
Wild Heart Ranch Wildlife Rescue
Claremore, Oklahoma
www.wildheartranch.org