Why?

I asked the hummingbird,

”Why do you keep singing

Even on rainy days?”

“I have two eggs in the nest

And they’re about to hatch.

The rain may make me cold,

But the eggs keep me warm.”

And the bird sang once again.

I asked the wolf,

“Why do you keep fighting

Knowing you could get hurt?”

“I want to get some food

So I can be strong for tomorrow

When my pack will go on a great journey.

A few scratches won’t bother me.”

And the wolf continued his hunt.

I asked the humpback whale,

“Why do you let barnacles

Attach themselves to your skin?”

“They barely even hurt

And wouldn’t it be great

To say I swam across the ocean

With barnacles on my back?”

And the whale kept swimming along.

I asked a giant sequoia tree,

“Why do you keep growing

Even after all these years?”

“My goal is to touch the moon

And I still have a ways to go.

Besides, growing is great-

With new heights come new views.”

And the tree looked back up at the moon.