I’ve always wondered that. Apart from the obvious topics of food, shelter and rest, what topics cross the minds of our long-eared friends each day? A poem by one of our lovely supporters, Eddie Currie, could hold the answer.
Eddie says:
“This poem was inspired by passing a little donkey in a field each evening on the way home from work on a bend in the road up on the hill above Gransha Presbyterian Church at La Mon in the Castlereagh Hills just outside Belfast. Every time I saw it, the donkey was standing perfectly still, not a tail flicking or even an ear twitching. It started me thinking - and the following poem resulted!
“What do donkeys think about
When they’re standing against a fence?
What are the things that fly through their head
Do they really make any sense?
“What do donkeys talk about
When they’re munching at the trough
Do they talk about straw, hay and carrots
About never getting enough?
“What do donkeys dream about
When sleeping in their stall
Do they dream about past, present, future
Do they dream about anything at all?
“I believe they think about Jesus
And talk about the time
They dream about so often
When Jesus took a ride
“In triumph, into Jerusalem
Along a dusty road
With palms before Him waving
On a lowly donkey He rode
“No gold encrusted chariot
No prancing Arab steed
An ordinary everyday donkey
Was enough to meet His need
“Donkeys are not well regarded
Used for any old thing
But one day outside Jerusalem
A donkey carried a King!
“So each time you see a donkey
Look closely at its back
You’ll see a cross marked plainly
A reminder of where Jesus sat!
“What do donkeys think about
When they’re standing perfectly still?
I believe they’re thinking about Jesus
And the day they carried a King!”
Every year, some of our resident donkeys are asked to take part in Palm Sunday services around the country, and we think this poem makes a lovely link to the visible cross that many donkeys have on their backs. If you would like to find out more about the legend of the donkey’s cross, please take a look at our article Palm Sunday and the donkey article.
