End Times
Before the primate known as “man” became loquacious,
With all his fishnet shenanigans, skylarking monkey shines,
And thermo-nuclear weapons,
There was a time when words among men
Had not yet become discrete utterances
Encoded with agreed upon meanings.
It was a time when disputes were rarely settled
Through diplomatic concordance.
During that long stretch of pre-history,
Our ancestors’ best efforts at verbal communication
Consisted of assorted grunts, howls, squeals, screams, cries,
And presumably laughter.
Conflict negotiation in Paleolithic times
Might have involved all these primitive sound bites,
But would most likely conclude with blood being spilled.
The development of verbal language among humans
Would require the evolution, over many generations,
of various specific anatomical adaptations.
The mechanisms that enable us to fill our lungs with air
And expel it in a gymnastic manner up our throats,
Around our tongues, through our teeth, and past our lips,
Allow us to produce all the recognizable vocalizations
That comprise all the languages of the world
With all their vocabularies and grammars.
For most of pre-history the genus Homo
Merely grunted, howled, squealed, screamed, cried,
And occasionally, it might be hoped, laughed.
The development of verbal language among humans
Would lead to the invention of promises, oaths, and vows,
But also lies, deception, and inhuman oppression.
In the end, we are all just talking monkeys.
Talking monkeys that still grunt, howl, squeal, scream, cry,
And sometimes laugh, whether it’s appropriate or not.
Talking monkeys armed with thermo nuclear weapons.
Human history may be heading to an inevitable conclusion;
Talking monkeys will never be anything other than talking monkeys.
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a
Premium Membership.
