Hans Stromberg, Poetry

To Help the Monkey Cross the River,

Thomas Lux

which he must
cross, by swimming, for fruits and nuts,
to help him
I sit with my rifle on a platform
high in a tree, same side of the river
as the hungry monkey. How does this assist
him? When he swims for it
I look first upriver: predators move faster with
the current than against it.
If a crocodile is aimed from upriver to eat the monkey
and an anaconda from downriver burns
with the same ambition, I do
the math, algebra, angles, rate-of-monkey,
croc- and snake-speed, and if, if
it looks as though the anaconda or the croc
will reach the monkey
before he attains the river’s far bank,
I raise my rifle and fire
one, two, three, even four times into the river
just behind the monkey
to hurry him up a little.
Shoot the snake, the crocodile?
They’re just doing their jobs,
but the monkey, the monkey
has little hands like a child’s,
and the smart ones, in a cage, can be taught to smile.


I believe this poem to be more universal in theme. A universal and common question is what is one life in comparison to another? Why should one life be taken and another saved? Thomas Lux is in a similar position because to save the precious monkey he must shoot the anaconda or the crocodile for the monkey to live. He regretfully says "They're just doing their jobs" to show the guilt he would feel if he shoot one of the animals to save the monkey. This dilemma could be symbolic or comparative to any real life situation because one must make sacrifices to make a decision most of the time. I chose this poem because the title caught my attention and after reading it, the poem made me think about decisions I have made and will make in my life.