Three Donkeys
by Marcia N. Lynch
“Three Donkeys” read by Marcia N. Lynch.
Three donkeys met in heaven —
Their new home of joy and mirth,
And each one told what happened
While they lived upon the earth.
The first donkey then lifted
Up his head and told his plight,
“Balaam was my master
But he didn’t do what’s right.
An angel stood before me
To block us on the path.
But Balaam took his stick
And hit me in his wrath.
Then God opened my mouth —
Yes! My words were written down!
I talked and scolded him
For treating me so foul.
I saved him from the curse
That he was going to make,
And people speak of me,
a talking donkey, to this day!”
The second told the journey
Of young Isaac and his father:
“I carried all the wood for them.
We walked to mount Moriah.
I saw Isaac and wondered,
Where’s the lamb, the sacrifice?
They went alone to offer
That which only God provides.
When young Isaac returned
I stomped and brayed with such delight!
To see that he was spared
And now could live a ransomed life.”
The third donkey was thoughtful
And he whispered to the rest,
“My journey was quite different,
But I think it was the best.
Lord Jesus borrowed me
And my little foal.
We marched into Jerusalem —
But that isn’t all!
The crowds came all around us
Laying palm leaves at my feet.
They shouted loud Hosannas
To the One who set them free!
“You saved your master Balaam,”
The donkey told the first,
“From cursing God’s elect,
And keeping them from hurt.
“You saw the young boy Isaac
Saved from his father’s knife,
But my Master is the One
Who promises new life.”
The three donkeys were quiet,
And amazed at God’s strange plan
To use such humble creatures
To save the likes of man.
Each one had a purpose;
They recounted all their tracks.
Could this be why donkeys
Wear a cross upon their backs?
About the Poet
Once upon a time, Marcia N. Lynch was a children’s film editor, crafting live-action fairy tales for PBS. She and her husband of 41 years live in Arlington, Virginia, where one of her poems was chosen by the ArlingtonArts Moving Words competition to ride around on the local buses. She has just published her first book of poetry for children, available on Amazon, Dear Miss Tickle: Poetry and Art for the Young at Heart.
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Artwork: “Three Donkeys” by Marcia N. Lynch. All rights reserved.
