The Little Howler Monkey Who Ran For President - a poem

The Little Howler Monkey Who Ran For President

by Susan Paczek 

In the forest over there

Swinging merrily from a tree
Always smiling, always laughing
Was a little howler monkey

The humans in her forest
Weren’t doing very well
Some thought if she’d be president
That would be rather swell

“Be your president?” she laughed
“Well I guess I could
I suppose I have a platform
That could be rather good”

So the Monkey Party was formed
A campaign manager was found
Her platform was written down
And swiftly passed around

At the rallies she said “Listen up!” 
“And take heed of my advice
My Monkey Party has ideas
Which you might find very nice

I think we all should take more naps
And work at jobs much less
Everyone would have less stuff
But would also have less stress

Let’s all spend more time outdoors
And more time playing in fresh air
Grateful for nature’s beauty
That surrounds us everywhere

We’ll care more for friends and family
And be conscious of our actions
While clearing mindless consumption
Addictions and distractions

We’ll be more efficient with our time
And stop wasting our resources
Until we’ve healed all the land
And repaired our water courses

Let’s all eat more things from plants
Like leaves and berries and roots
And seeds and nuts and tubers
Pods, flowers, shoots and fruits

Any animals that help
Feed our community
Will be treated with kindness
Instead of cruelty

We’ll eat when we are hungry
And when we’re not we’ll fast
Spoiled stockpiles, needless shortages
Will be a thing of the past

We will need less hospitals
Because our health will be so good
As we make sure we’re all relaxed
And eating nutritious food

We’ll realize we’re all connected
No one is better than anyone else
Anything I do to you
I am doing to myself

We’ll cross the palace walls
Built around each miser’s soul
Knowing that at the centre of excess
Could be a heart that has a hole

We’ll show respect and love
To the sickest and deluded
Until everyone in the forest
Knows that they’re included

More people will use their talents
Or seek higher education
All will be able to chase their dreams
Whatever their situation

We’ll recognize that money is just paper
And see it as a useful tool
It will no longer be a weapon
A few tricksters can use to fool

Bankers and investors will stop
Pricing things arbitrarily
So we’ll curb excessive payments
On everything that should be free

With less value put on things
There’ll be less to hoard and store
So we can get rid of our military
As we get rid of war

As all of these changes
Affect everyone in the land
We’ll have more time for sports and leisure
And for making things by hand

We’ll all sing songs of love
To drown out messages of fear
We’ll tune into The Positive Channel
Until it is all we want to hear” 

The little howler monkey
Won her race by a landslide
Her first act as president
Was to invite everyone outside

Her followers all climbed up
Into one enormous tree
Where they laughed and ate leaves
Into the evening, happily

Then they slept a solid sleep
Through the dark still night
And when the morning came
Nobody wanted to fight

So to celebrate
That the darkness was done
Everybody formed a chorus
And howled loudly at the sun