The Monkey Poem

Three monkeys sat in a coconut tree,

Discussing some things that are said to be;

Said one to the others, “Now listen you two,

There’s a rumor that certainly cannot be true --

That man descended from our noble race,

The very idea is a total disgrace!”

“No monkey ever deserted his wife,

Starved her babies, and ruined her life!

And you’ve never known a mother monk

Leave her babies with others, - and bunk!

Or pass them on from one to another,

Till they scarcely know who is their mother.”

“Another thing that you never would see,

Is a monk build a fence round his coconut tree,

Forbidding all other monkeys from taking,

For then they would all become thieves in the making!

If I were to put a fence round my tree,

Starvation would force them to steal from me!”

“Here’s another thing a monkey won’t do;

Go out late at night and get in a stew,

Using a gun, a club or a knife,

To take some other monkey’s life!

Yes, man descended! - the ornery cuss;

But, brothers! - he didn’t descend from us!”