The Classisist
Although our travels, for the time, had ceased,
our fervor for the Quest had not decreased;
and in between our foragings we found
a little leisure time to look around
for information to allay our doubts
of God's existence, and His whereabouts.
Our Quest was complicated by the fact
that clues we had were few, and inexact.
God might take any shape--or none--so we
considered every possibility.
The Sage of Eden (who'd retained his post
as Leader, since he seemed to know the most)
was gathering some walnuts peacefully
among the fallen leaves beneath a tree,
when his attention was distracted by
a bovine roar, and then a human cry,
from two aggressive breeds of humans we
had battled in the forest recently--
and, interspersed with these, the thuds and whacks
of club and cudgel, possibly an axe.
He recognized especially the roar
of everybody's bane, the Minotaur.
A few of Eden's hunters had been lost
when minotaurs' and tribesmens' paths had crossed.
Amid the bullish roars the Sage could hear
some human cries of rage, and then of fear.
He set aside his walnut basket, and
took up his bludgeon, which was close at hand.
(We apes had learned to Be Prepared, of late.)
Thus armed, he hurried to investigate;
but since he wasn't sure what might be found,
he didn't risk approaching on the ground.
He climbed aloft, and with instinctive ease
went brachiating lightly through the trees.*
__________
*The record's not specific, but it stands
to reason, since the Sage would need both hands
for bracchiation, he would have to put
his club, or other baggage, in his foot.
All apes are highly quadridexterous. You
were probably aware of that. --Lit. Lou.
__________
Arriving at the site from whence arose
the sounds of battle, he espied two foes
in mortal combat. One, a Minotaur
was of a strain we'd tangled with before
The monster stood some twenty-seven hands
and was a common hazard in the lands
outside of Eden. Human in physique
but half again as tall, the "human" freak
