A Monkey's Sad Lot

Little Henry the monkey sat in his sterile cage
Trembling in confused but furry trepidation
Of what horrors the sunless day would bring
What further cruel pain and suffering.

How he longed with poignant thoughts
For the lost days of distant enchanting youth,
Futile recollections of the steamy jungle
And his hairy siblings playing still carefree.

But these elusive reminiscences were cast aside
As,from the corner of his pain-dulled eye,
He saw the nightmare of his white-coated jailers,
Returning to inflict further pointless agonies.

About This Poem

Style/Type: Free verse

Review Request Direction: How does this theme appeal to you?

Review Request Intensity: I appreciate moderate constructive criticism

Editing Stage: Editing - polished draft

About the Author

Region, Country: London, Culture Capital of the World

Favorite Poets: Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke, Chaucer, Shakespeare to name but a few. And VERY IMPORTANTLY: Erich Fried, a leftwing Austrian of Jewish ancestry who fled the Nazis and became a British citizen in 1949., And, other writers (non-poets mainly): Raymond Chandler, Irvine Welsh, Anthony Burgess, Graham Greene, Charles Bukowski, John le Carré, Anthony Horowitz, Mick Herron, Margaret Attwood, Edna O'Brian, Maeve Binchy., Writers who I find vastly over-rated: TS Eliot, Virgina Woolf, Sylvia Plath, Phil Larkin, E.A. Poe, A. Ginsburg, Longfellow, Gerald Manley Hopkins (actually I LOATHE Hopkins more than damson-dappled words can say).

Comments

Geezer

5 years 6 months ago

I am sure that...

someday, there will be no more testing of animals. But you have painted a pretty horrid scene that still happens daily. I am ashamed that it still happens and it will not be ended anytime soon. People do not think about it much; because they don't want to be reminded of the pain and outrageous things we do to animals in the name of science. Another time that I would inflict pain upon another human being, to show them what agony and mental anguish that is inflicted on those poor animals.
~ Geezer.
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tyro

5 years 6 months ago

The theme is clear and

The theme is clear and painted very visually; only I felt the last stanza with it long lines watered the verse down, as compared to the other two.
an example of what I mean:

But these elusive reminiscences are cast aside,
as from the very corner of his pain-dulled eye,
he sees the peripheral of white-coated jailers,
returning to inflict further agonies on his body.

Just my thoughts.

Edna Sweetlove

5 years 6 months ago

Thank you...

...your suggestions are actually rather good and I am tempted to adopt them - but then the 'poem' (if such it be) wouldn't be "mine" any more, would it? Maybe a compromise and I'll shorten the last four lines.
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