Classic Poem

Never mind why — the gods behave with whimsy — but once,
Jove decided to hold a cute-baby contest,
and invited all the world's creatures to enter their kiddies,
every beast of the earth, and fish of the sea,
and bird of the air. And they came (oh, of course they came!)
fussing and cooing, their youngsters gussied up
in ribbons and bows. The fish had scales that gleamed like jewels,
and the little birds with their iridescent plumage
looked like a cunning jeweler's simulacra of birds.
The mothers paraded their darlings before the god
in a grand procession, and Jupiter nodded, beamed, and preened,
congratulating them all and of course himself . . .
And then, at the critical moment, just before the awards,
a mama monkey appeared, pushed herself forward,
and put her wizened wee one down on the floor before him,
a kind of hairy prune with arms and legs,
and a face that could stop a thousand clocks. And the god laughed!
And everyone else laughed, and the baby monkey
blinked its pop-eyes, and smiled, and everted its lower lip,
and everyone roared the louder, until the mother
called them all to order: " Let the god decide
however he will, and give the prizes out . . .
What does it matter? This is my child, my darling, my love,
the dearest baby in all the universe."
And again there was laughter, but quickly it gave way to silence
and awe before her blind passion's truth.