Don’t ask a zookeeper why they’re crying.
Most likely, they won’t be able to answer.
Pay no mind to the sobs on their lips.
Don’t acknowledge the tears on their face.
If you have to ask
Then you didn’t wonder
Why a caretaker would break down
Perhaps it’s all the stress they’re under
Or perhaps a goodbye caused their frown
To be a keeper, it takes a lot
A lot of days and a lot for naught
Lots of laughs and smiles
Friendships and rivals
We may never gain an animal’s trust
And they may never know how much we care
But the important thing is that we’re there.
So when you see our tears
Or the puff of our cheeks
It’s best to just let us weep
We’d like to tell you
We appreciate the concern
But to share the news,
We have to wait our turn
Just offer a smile and if you may,
Tell us which animal was your favorite today
At the heart of it all
The job never ends
There’s another animal just around the bend
So let us weep so we can move on
And help all our animals carry on strong
I can promise you all, that we’re certainly trying
Just don’t ask us, zookeepers, why we’re crying.
nikki diekemper 