Yeti and Bigfoot

Tibetan monks share colorful lore Taking wide-eyed listeners from a valley floor To peaks in the sentinel Himalayas So how could such holy men’s tales betray us A dark, furry creature’s outline has been seen Startling climbers on mountains so serene Leaving bipedal footprints on pristine snow Stumping searchers who try to learn where they go Yeti, the not-so-abominable snowman Much maligned being of God’s creative plan Never attacks, just appears and quickly flees Allowing sighters to suspect what they please Howling in the pain of loss from lofty peaks Perhaps for a missing cousin Yeti seeks One who traversed a lost land bridge from Asia Then made his way south from the Arctic Tundra To explore lush forests now U.S. Northwest Where for centuries Bigfoot has done his best To elude capture by settlers and hunters And scoff at ever-hopeful photographers Publicized encounters still boggle the brain But only footprints, blurry photos remain Of man’s intriguing, unevolved ancestors Scientists think they’re human predecessors Far smarter than we, they blend in with nature Appearing now and then in the newspaper But their imprints on Earth have been minimal Never chopping trees or scarring a pinnacle They’ve reason to hide from one who pollutes One who doesn’t reason, but only shoots Perhaps these “beasts” we should emulate Learn from our ancestors before it’s too late *Entry for Joyce's "The Rhyming Game" contest