The gorilla
The gorilla does what gorillas can
sits on a dung heap,
protecting it with its life
as if it belongs
to only him
and eats bananas
from its own republic
faster than they grow,
scratches for tics and lice,
swats some opponents
down like flies
scorches the plain
over and over again
and shakes its head
walking among the slain
not able to understand
where every thing has gone
and although it walks
on hind legs,
growls words as speech
and sometimes begs,
but one task
is beyond its reach:
the gorilla cannot
become human again.
[Reference: August 1968 by W.H. Auden.]
poem by Gert Strydom
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Related quotes
Zoo Gorilla
Zoo Gorilla
There was a big, bright ape at a zoo in Sweden who
disliked being looked at when walking about in his
enclosure minding his own business. To get visitors
to move on he threw stones at them. Bad ape, bad
for business the wise zoo administration concluded.
A tranquilizer dart flew through the air and the ape
was rendered emasculated; one cannot have hostile
apes at a zoo, they should behave like cuddly giants.
Visitors who go to the big ape's enclosure, a at zoo
in an arctic town not too far from of Stockholm, do
not stay long; nothing much to see other than a fat
primate that only sits there and eats bananas.
poem by Oskar Hansen
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Gorilla
Hes got arms like legs
Hes got hands on his feet
Hes got a nose like a doughnut
Hes got a tendency to over eat
He dont use tools or weapons
He dont eat meat
He likes to stick to the bushes
Tends to avoid the street
But he rides my el dorado
When he comes to town
You know hes out there somewhere
Tryin to track you down
Look up in the sky
Mama thats the one
See the mighty profile
Block the noonday sun
He comes from the heart of darkness
A thousand miles from here
Thats the land where they understand
What a woman might like to hear
You know that he loves you baby
For what you really are
His love is a burning hot
As a big old ten cent cigar
Now most of yall
Have seen a gorilla
In a cage at the local zoo
He mostly sits around contemplating
All the things that hed prefer to do
He dreams about the world outside
From behind those bars of steel
And no one seems to understand
About the heartache the man can feel
The people stop and stare
But nobody seems to care
It dont seem right somehow
It just dont seem fair
Hes still a gorilla
song performed by by James Taylor
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The monkey and gorilla may claim kinship, but the monkey is a monkey and the gorilla is a gorilla.
I feel more comfortable with gorillas than people. I can anticipate what a gorilla's going to do, and they're purely motivated.
quote by Dian Fossey
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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‘Dogo Erectus’!
Standing on its hind-legs,
Wagging its long tail,
Panting with its tongue out,
Without its fore-legs!
Stands a dog so freak-born,
Until dusk, from morn;
Passers-by go pat him,
Giving things to eat!
Smiling canine always,
Walks like human beings;
With its hind-legs strong as
A Kangaroo’s back-feet!
Thrilling all the people,
Peering at the beast;
Stupefying crowds that
Throng to see his feat!
Living with just hind-legs,
The dog can’t go on fours;
Smiling to the people,
Everywhere, he goes.
Having just but two legs,
The dog walks, runs so neat;
‘What undaunted soul, God! ’
Say people on the street.
Copyright by Dr John Celes 6-26-2008
poem by John Celes
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It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired - you quit when the gorilla is tired.
quote by Robert Strauss
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Komlos
I am from the Democratic Republic of Congo!
And, my name is Komlos;
But, the gorillas are on the mountains top.
Service to all and service to mankind,
For i am with words so delicious to satisfy your muse;
And, i don't need a proficiency certificates for your love.
The gorillas are living on the range of these mountains,
But, love comes straightr from the heart!
Varied with its pigment taste.
Rich in quality and of a choice,
However, these other animals around the gorillas are now ready for a race!
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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The Gorilla and his beloved wife
This man was certainly fed up with the life and roamed like a stray dog.
One day he found in the Zoo the gorilla's cage is vacant.
Since that day he lived in the cage happily.
On a sunny Sunday he saw his wife came towards the cage.
'Oh! You resemble my so loved husband and he was disappeared a long time ago.' wife said.
She witnessed the gorilla cried and she gave him her handkerchief.
On her way back home she had a facial as she knows her husband would be at home soon.
* I heard that he says; 'We the people, in order to form a more perfect union.' Good luck to the land of opportunity! And guess who comes to the dinner with a gift of real democracy.
poem by Nimal Dunuhinga
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The Plain Citizen Of The Republic
the government for sure
cannot survive without you plain citizen
you are taxed
that is the most certain thing that happens in your life
as plain citizen
of this republic
the property that you own
is subject to confiscation
from womb to tomb
you, plain citizen is bound with a lot of other
responsibilities
you make them rich
and give them power
you let them stay for more
than expected and they all laugh
like mad men
you do not make a stir
on the fold
the law chases you just in case
and the prison cell is crowded
so plain citizen of the republic
be good
lick them
as they suck you
pamper them
as they spare you
plain citizen you sell your right to be king
in this republic
now you sit there
and you will be next!
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Between Games
Nobody rests
This one constantly shifts his eyes
Hangs them on his head
And whether he wants it or not starts walking
backwards
He puts them on the soles of his feet
And whether he wants it or not returns walking
on his head
This one turns into an ear
He hears all that won't let itself be heard
But he grows bored
Yearns to turn again into himself
But without eyes he can't see how
That one bares all his faces
One after the other he throws them over the roof
The last one he throws under his feet
And sinks his head into his hands
This one stretches his sight
Stretches it from thumb to thumb
Walks over it walks
First slow then fast
Then faster and faster
That one plays with his head
Juggles it in the air
Meets it with his index finger
Or doesn't meet it at all
Nobody rests
poem by Vasko Popa
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The Great Man Who Ate Cow Dung All His Life (secretly)
everyday
he feeds himself
with cow dung
but this is done
discreetly
for who in this
normal world
would like
to satisfy
himself with
dung
who in this
society would
love a man
who eats and
smells like
cow dung?
of course, he
feared
that soon if
society knows
he shall be
another ostracized
ostrich
electrically fenced
and monitored
and segregated
at Ward 8
for social
rehabilitation
he didn't like dung
reason and logic
so tell him well
but he couldn't resist
the smell of dung
even if it is kilometers
away
there is simply this
obsession for
cow dung
and he begins
to salivate even
for the word
dung
and for so many nights
he prayed
that his mind-set be
changed
so that he can prefer
steak
medium rare
than watery cow
dung
life has its own
idiosyncrasies for
he prefers dung
than barbecue
despite his
genius for good
food
and so
not to deprive
himself of what he
really loves
in his whole life
he eats cow dung
stores them in his
refrigerator
and eats cow dung
regularly
savoring every
fiber and enjoying
that rotten
sticky smell of
rotten grass
and leaves or
hay
how he wishes
that the shrink can
teach him to hate
dung
but this never
happened
he never referred
the matter
somehow
for fear of information
leaks
for modesty aside
he is
a great man
in his field of
endeavor
no one knows this
this is his secret
and i have known this
only about a year & a half
after he died
when i found his
black diary hidden
under the
old creaky bed
because it
smells dung
itself
in his
luxurious house
beside
a river
you know him
he is one of the greatest men
in our history
a philosopher
writer
philanthropist
scient ist
artist
sculptor
a genius
who ate cow dung
all his life
well adored by history
a hero for all humanity
the Renaissance man
as they dub him to be
the man who ate
and secretly loved cow
dung all this life
do not bother
let us keep his greatness
history is always right
do not argue
great men
revered the cow
ate cow dung
and become
famous
throughout the life
of history
their names
written in the pages of books
like sticky
piece of dung
but shits
unknown
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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A Farewell To Arms
War.
An extension of politics
Is there a victor?
Talks of right and wrong
Whispers of wrong and right
Human life is threatend, and crushed
Is there really a good cause for war?
Nuclear War, Gorilla War, Holy War,
Peace... Is that only a theory?
poem by Chancellor Nelson
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The Thing Is?
The thing is?
A matter of speech
It also sits alone on the mantlepiece
Just out of reach
The thing is?
A matter of words
A feeling condensed
In a texture and touch
A familiar sight
Or a smell or sound
That you love/hate too much
The thing that is hanging around is?
A private thing
A certain eccentric comfort
A childhood memory
It is both loved and despised
A hidden piece of you unmarked unpriced
In the disguise
Of
A favourite cup with an elephant's head
A purple cushion for resting your head
An old pair of shoes
A strange hat
Or some gloves
A one legged teddy
A old saucepan circa 1980
A jelly baby
A wind up chick
A notebook of songs
An old walking stick
A set of grandads dentures
That don't fit
A smell of orange peel
Some old tin foil
A potted plant
The smell of soil
Barry Manilow, yes 'Barry Manilow's greatest hits
Don't ask me why,
He made me cry in circa 1979
The thing is, that's just it!
poem by Yvette Smith
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King Kong Song
Well I was looking at a movie on the tv last night
Then I had a very funny notion, yeah
I really had to write a song about it
Then Im gonna sing it in my rockn roll band
And I bet that people gonna like it, yeah
I know that everybodys gonna shout it
About a dreadful mighty killer
A big black wild gorilla
We do the king kong song, wont you sing along
Listen to the music and it couldnt go wrong
We do the kong kong song, gotta sing along
Cant you hear the beating of the monkey tom-tom
Listen to the rhythm of the king kong song
Now we can make the jungle out of any old place
We can make gorillas out of people, yeah
Well who can tell a monkey from a monkey?
So people get together, gonna have a good time
Everybody listen to the music, yeah
the song were gonna sing is kinda funky
So let your arms hang down
And waddle all around
Like a dreadful mighty killer
A big black wild gorilla
We do the king kong song, wont you sing along
Listen to the music and it couldnt go wrong
We do the kong kong song, gotta sing along
Cant you hear the beating of the monkey tom-tom
Listen to the rhythm of the king kong song
About a dreadful mighty killer
A big black wild gorilla
We do the king kong song, wont you sing along
Listen to the music and it couldnt go wrong
We do the kong kong song, gotta sing along
Cant you hear the beating of the monkey tom-tom
Listen to the rhythm of the king kong song
We do the king kong song, wont you sing along
Listen to the music and it couldnt go wrong
We do the kong kong song, gotta sing along
Cant you hear the beating of the monkey tom-tom
Listen to the rhythm of the king kong song
song performed by by ABBA
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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We're in Manila. Come on, gorilla; this is a thriller.
quote by Joe Frazier
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I mean Gorilla was really our first sort of goes at songwriting.
quote by Neil Innes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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You do not teach the paths of the forest to an old gorilla.
Evil is unspectacular and always human, and shares our bed and eats at our own table.
quote by W.H. Auden
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Festive Irony
you might say I am
the Spirit of Christmas
driven by a steady hand
on the neck of a bottle
of Cerveza complete
with lime wedge
this year I gave my friend
three flyswats opining he’ll
find superior utility in that
than a six-pack of said beer
– which he’s never been
fond of anyway
it’s a crazy time when
flies breed faster than Tahitian
limes can grow now Christmas
is a day away – he’ll see
irony in plastic swats to
control global warming
© 23 December 2009, I. D. Carswell
poem by Ivan Donn Carswell
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