Our friends David and Jessie Gigante graciously let us visit their four lovely Sicilian donkeys, Jasmine, Jolene (the moms) and Stormy and Sunshine (the foals). This poem is dedicated to them all with many thanks.

Old Songs For A New Donkey

A divided heart
I had today
As I faced your fuzz
And limpid eyes,
I faced Stormy and Sunshine
And I looked to the sky.
Though your names conjure up
Two meanings opposed
Your tiny hearts speak of happiness
With a new Donkey glow.
Behind little smiles
My love came undone
Like a ribbon unwound
For Stormy and Sunshine
Foals new to be found.
Each is the other's opposite
And balance it's true
As their young personalities
Reflect one another on cue.
Old songs come to mind
Tunes of Yin and of Yang
I find myself humming "Stormy Weather"
And "You Are My Sunshine".
With tails of the heart
They're both halves of the sum
And I'll smile and sit back
And let the storm come...
Knowing sunshine will follow.
It's good to remember
As life finds its way
A tempest may come
But the sun's never shaken.
I'll take comfort in cuddles
Of your fuzz and new bray
I'll take Stormy and Sunshine
Any old day.