As its name is intended to suggest, this feature of The Zoo Fence is a catchall, where we place our stuff that does not seem to belong anywhere else, perhaps even anywhere at all, but which we are nonetheless moved to share. 

May I Go Now?

A Woman Gave

Tick Tock

May I Go Now?

On Monday, January 8, 2001, The Zoo Fence's dearly beloved and intensely loyal four-legged friend died — peacefully, painlessly, and gracefully.

Our hearts are wounded, and bleeding. Soon, a scab will form, the wound will heal, and we will recover. But never will we be the same, for her life and her death impacted us indelibly.

By coincidence (whatever precisely that may mean), some few days before the eighth, an anonymous visitor to The Zoo Fence alerted us to this poem. We are convinced that our four-legged friend, who towards the end was suffering physical pain, wanted us to read and heed these words, and that it was she who, in some way we do not fully understand, arranged to have them brought to our attention.

This poem appears on numerous websites across the internet, and is attributed variously, but most often as "Written for a beloved pet & friend by Susan A. Jackson". Grateful to the author and the TZFer, we reproduce it here for its aptness to our own circumstances, and because it might be appropriate to other visitors to The Zoo Fence.

May I Go Now?

May I go now?
Do you think the time is right?
May I say goodbye to pain filled days
and endless lonely nights?
I've lived my life and done my best,
an example tried to be.
So can I take that step beyond
and set my spirit free?

I didn't want to go at first,
I fought with all my might.
But something seems to draw me now
to a warm and loving light.
I want to go
I really do.
It's difficult to stay.

But I will try as best I can
to live just one more day.
To give you time to care for me
and share your love and fears.
I know you're sad and afraid,
because I see your tears.

I'll not be far,
I promise that, and hope you'll always know
that my spirit will be close to you
wherever you may go.
Thank you so for loving me.
You know I love you too,
that's why it's hard to say goodbye
and end this life with you.

So hold me now just one more time
and let me hear you say,
because you care so much for me,
you'll let me go today.

(For more about this event, please click here.)

A Woman Gave

A woman,
bless her well-intentioned heart,
gave birth to me.

At the very selfsame instant,
she gave death to me …
for delivery on some future date unspecified.

Now, I thank her for the effort expended on my behalf,
but
after careful consideration,

I choose to accept neither as mine.

Tick Tock

Yesterday, I forgot to wind the clock.
I'm busy today, so
I'll do it tomorrow.
And yet,

If the clock's not ticking
Tocking,
How will I know when tomorrow's
Here, now?

Oh, dear. What have I done?
Am I to live and die
Wondering what day
Today is.

Um. What if today tomorrow yesterday
Is just a sweep of the hands?
Not distinctly then, or even when.
Only now

Seen differently?
And my haunting memories, my whetting expectations,
Aren't tall ships upon some distant sea,
But here, me.

Agh! I wish I had wound the clock,
Yesterday.
Whenever that was,
Now.