XVI
We’re the roof beams of thatched huts in Borneo,
Where the farmer – enduring – bends low, bends low.
if a man, now and then, did some roof patching,
replaced chewed-up beams and half-eaten thatching,
We could keep out the wind, the rain, and the sun,
And shelter a man when his labors were done.
Despite caterpillars, we roof beams stayed strong,
and the lizards, by eating them, helped us along.
For the lizard, you see, was the number-one killer
Of the beam eating (nosh-nosh) cater- (nosh-nosh) pillar.
Now we mourn the little lizards – may they rest in peace –
While the greedy caterpillars (burp) get more and more obese.
To be frank, we roofs are in a state of collapse.
