To a Sea Lion
O lion with no mane, dog of the sea,
how little like a lion do you be!
Though you may roar, and are a sight to see,
you are no king of predators to me.
Instead, you are the king of something else:
of play or whimsy—joviality!
How quickly worry mercifully melts
when seeing you—how ails anxiety!
You’d fit right in in heaven, I am sure,
if he who makes me happiest is, too,
as happy as he makes me, and as pure
as I feel—like a child—when with you.
You’re proof that heaven is a happy place,
not just with peace, but laughter on its face.