The Noblest of Slaves

The noblest of slaves has four legs and a tail, Has a bark or a whinny or a feline wail. He suffers all things Just to walk by your side, And share your fate whatever betide. He accepts his master just as he is. Whether wealthy or poor he'll share what is his. He will carry your burden, protect you from harm, And cuddle beside you to keep you warm. No matter what he puts your welfare first, And for this loyalty he's looked down on and cursed. When people wish to insult each other, They call you a dog with a for a mother. He'll take what scraps are thrown his way, For his love and his loyalty this is his pay. Left to live in the dirt and sleep in the cold, And to die all alone when he's sick and old. The noblest of slaves has four legs and a tail, And I never have known him to falter or fail, To rise to the call when his presence was needed, And each time I come home with great joy I am greeted. I'll always love each one I have known, And cherish the time that we share and have grown, To see all the wisdom inate in their kind. A better teacher and friend is impossible to find. We call them dumb animals because they can't speak. We think them stupid, that their minds are weak, Because they accept the way that we treat them, But we are the ones too stupid to see them, For their strength and their wisdom, the blessings they are. They outshine us in spirit and goodness by far. I've not found a man or a woman yet, With the goodness of spirit I've found in my pets.