[Trevor Conway]

REVISION

(Last stanza removed. I also tried to make it clearer to distinguish the chimps from the colobus monkeys. Thanks for all the help with it.)

As if they know, these placid chimps,
bending leaves into their mouths,
that bodies yearn for protein,
can feel it like a dull thirst
driving them over the forest floor.

The colobus monkeys
swing in their leafy playground of twisted bark,
fast and light,
with little to fear
from the slow chimps observing below.

But this troop is taking position –
one to drive the monkeys on,
two – conspicuous – to block each side;
another waits behind a trunk.

A chorus of screams begins their business.
The monkeys make reckless bets
of wild flight through the air.
One, in haste,
chooses a trunk that will be its last –
a firm grasp of its furry tail
draws the chimps together.

Portions are carried to the forest floor,
where the young and female profit,
as if their cries from far below
were a tacit piece of the act.


ORIGINAL

As if they know,
bending leaves into their mouths,
that bodies yearn for protein,
can feel it like a dull thirst
driving them over the forest floor,
shoulder-heavy and quiet.

The colobus swing
in their leafy playground of twisted bark,
fast and light, with little to fear
from the slow chimps observing below.
But these chimps are taking position –
one to drive the monkeys on,
two – conspicuous – to block each side,
while another waits behind a trunk.

A chorus of screams begins their business.
The colobus make reckless bets
of wild flight through the air.
One, in haste,
chooses a trunk that will be its last –
a firm grasp of its furry tail,
and the chimps clamour.

Portions are carried to the forest floor,
where the young and female profit,
as if their cries from far below
were a tacit piece of the act.

And what craving propelled them
to leafy heights in chase –
the taste of protein
or the thrill of the hunt?