Poem of the Day: “Searching for Mr. Lemur” by Mary Soon Lee, Frequent Contributor & Poet of the Week

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review is pleased to present “Searching for Mr. Lemur” by Mary Soon Lee, a Songs of Eretz Frequent Contributor and this week’s Poet of the Week.  A biography of Ms. Lee may be found in our “About Our Editor & Frequent Contributors” section.

Searching for Mr. Lemur

Mary Soon Lee

At the zoo,

three weeks after you left,

the tiger wouldn't even look at me

as he paced the perimeter of his cage.

I tried telling him

to lie down, relax,

that there's only extinction beyond,

but no matter how large the enclosure

he can never forget the walls.

     

I mentioned the sea lions,

partying playfully in their pool,

but he said he preferred

his own company.

Swans, I pointed out,

never feel a need

to get away from each other,

their longest flights

taken together.

The tiger didn't deign to reply,

but the notice by his cage

said that males walk out on their mates

after a week. Or less.

Next time, I'll pick a lemur guy

instead of a tiger guy,

someone who ends arguments

by curling his tail around me

and falling asleep on my shoulder.

Poet's Notes:  The woman narrating the poem is fictitious, but the zoo and animal details are based on the nearby Pittsburgh Zoo.  I am particularly fond of the lemurs.