Monkey See

by John Frazee
(Boynton Beach, FL)

The rule concerning staying within the lines
I would rarely find myself in compliance
We rely on those who have come before us
We truly rest on the shoulders of giants

From fire we concluded how not to get burned
From danger we learned the art of escaping
From others we deduced, seek shelter from storms
From our closest kin, a technique called aping

The ability to scrape up a good meal
We picked up by following our mothers
How do we manage to stay out of trouble?
Something we gained while mimicking our brothers

How does one put one foot after another?
With none to follow we wouldn’t have a clue
Our species would have died a long time ago
Without perfecting monkey see monkey do