Hachiko Poem by Jim Yerman

Humans tend to think we are better and intrinsically have more worth
Than all the other animals who co-habitate this Earth.

We think because we have a brain or so we all surmise
This gives us an advantage and therefore makes us wise.

But how unwise this thinking is; it may lead to our downfall
When we believe just because we have a brain, we also know it all.

If we stopped more often to use our brain perhaps then we would see
How much we could learn from our animal friends about life and loyalty.

Hachiko was an Akita from Japan back in 1924
Whose loyalty to his master had never been seen before.

He was owned by a college professor who took a train to work every day
Like clockwork, Hachiko would greet him at the station, each night without delay.

One night the professor did not return, having died at work suddenly
Here is where Hachiko teaches us about love and loyalty.

Hachiko kept waiting for the professor's return, each night he would appear
Patiently he waited night after night for the subsequent nine years.

Each night he would return to wait, eyes searching far and wide
Nine years Hachiko waited, quietly hoping- until the day he died.

But not before showing a nation and the rest of the world so faithfully
The bond of love between man and dog and the meaning of loyalty.

Dogs may not be as smart as those of us in the human race
Their brains may not be as large as ours, but their hearts are in the right place.

Yes we could learn something from Hachiko as we attempt to set ourselves apart
About how it's not the size of the brain that matters- it's the capacity of they heart.