In the Animal Shelter

The animal shelter is quiet this afternoon.
The crowded cages have few customers,
Few people who come to see the animals,
Few who stroke and touch the unwanted ones,
People who sometimes adopt a small creature
And take it home with them.

The animals wait in the silence.
They have food and water and shelter,
But something they need is missing.
There is no one to love them.

Many of the animals sleep.
Sometimes it is only the sleep of fatigue,
But often it is the sleep of despair.

One kitten, awake in a cage of sleepers,
Sits by the mesh, looking out,
As her small paws touch the barrier.

Is this all there is in the world, she wonders.
Is this all there is for me?