Three monkeys sat in a coconut tree,

Discussing things as they’re said to be.

There’s a certain rumor that can’t be true

That Man descended from our noble race

the very idea is a disgrace!

No monkey ever deserted his wife,

starved her babies and ruined her life.

And you’ve never known of a mother monk

To leave her babies with others to bunk.

Or pass them on from one to the other

‘Til hardly is known who is their mother.

Another think you’ll never see

A monk build a fence around a coconut tree

And let the coconuts go to waste

Forbidding all other monks a taste

Why if I’d put a fence around the tree,

Starvation would force you to steal from me.

There’s another thing a monk won’t do: 

Go out at night and go on a stew,

or use a gun, or club or knife

To take some other monkey’s life.

Yes, man descended—-the onery cuss,

But brother, he didn’t descend from us!

** I found this poem while perusing a old periodical, Phillips Family Finder, in the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society library. It stated “submitted by Esther Freeman.”  I share it with you only because I thought it funny. I know that monkeys are “ornery” too and do bad things to each other (I’ve seen the documentaries) but I never thought of monkeys as “proud.” What about you?