The Donkey
from Robert Bresson's Au Hasard Balthazar
A donkey carries no pedigree.
He can’t be as fleet as a deer.
His gaze bears the grievance of history,
and his lips may appear to sneer.
He was long ago sold into servitude,
and though you may blanch at his bray,
to call him a jackass is savage and rude
when he’s merely man’s protégé.
Terese Coe
