Like dogs and other animals who have always lived around humans, donkeys need attention. When Maria comes into the barn in the morning, they all line up around her (or me, if I’m not holding the camera) and wait to be touched, brushed and talk to. They sometimes need this more than they need hay. They need attention as much as they need food. It grounds them and I believe this is where they send messages to us, they talk to us, sniff out our emotions, fulfill the ancient and history role of donkeys as the partners of humans in the world.

I am always touched to see the depths of affection the donkey show to me and Maria. While she brushes one, the other will bump into her or to me, a signal to pay attention, put the camera down, show some emotion. Donkeys open us up. They are sending me messages, even if I do not always know what they are.