Bestiary

-- for the Prometheans

Here’s a Gillygaloo

Her eggs are made of air

And are perfectly square

Use them as dice to gamble

Or just scramble

She looks like you

This one is a Thermal Pig

Still hot from the Big Bang

He wants to sit on you

But whatever will you do

When he fries your thang

And melts your igloo?

He, too, looks a bit like you

This one’s a Pinnacle Grouse

With only one wing

Lifelong he circles a single mountaintop

Searching for his house

Will he ever stop?

Will he ever be through?

Maybe he resembles you

Let me introduce the Hoo-hoo Monkey

Most loveable of creatures

With peacock tail, elephant’s trunk and other endearing features

Warning: he smells pretty funky

This time of the year

Like you, I fear

Look up in that tree

And you will see

A pair of Weeping Me-Me’s

Wisely, they bury their tears in the dirt

And dig them out

In times of drought

Or when they’re sad or hurt

They remind me of thee

And last in our zoo

We have the Fruity-Bootie Bird

Just for you

A rare and intelligent species

He eats only his own feces

And smells, logically, like a turd

Invite him in

Invite him in for a laugh and a word

Your identical, umbilical twin!

                                                -- New York, December 21, 2010