The Melancholy of a Monkey

While I was in Shimla, the one thing that really scared me were the monkeys. Shimla is home to so many monkeys and langurs. While the latter doesn't do much harm to the society, the former is known for its notorious and mischievous behavior. I have seen monkeys climb roofs of houses and jump across buildings, steal coconuts, fruits, bread from the vendors and ice creams, wafer packets, cotton candy from kids. Almost all tourists who visit Shimla every year are warned about them. They may bite you or worse slap you. I believe nothing can be more humiliating than being slapped by a monkey! I have seen a dog being a victim of the same....no it doesn't sound nice!

So I think I had pretty valid reasons to call this animal a beast for the menace it created. However, despite my hatred, I loved to observe them, look at them lazing on blocked chimneys of old style buildings, running on roof tops, the babies clinging to their mothers, swinging on trees...

One such bunch of monkeys used roam around in my neighborhood and their favorite spot was a blocked chimney on one of the bungalows there. The chimney was wide and had enough space for two large monkeys. On a bright sunny day you could see the whole monkey family, the father, the mother and the little ones lying on the chimney, soaking in the warmth of the sun, just minding their own business. This was daily routine for them. Unfortunately the people staying in that bungalow were thinking of renovating it and so in the process, the chimney was broken. Without the chimney, the favorite spot of the monkeys was gone and they were furious. they kept running on the roof making lot of noise. Well, their reaction was justified. I felt bad for them. With the chimney gone, during snowfall, they could not sit atop the roof as they would slip. Since I could not do much about the situation, I thought I would express how those monkeys would have felt through a poem.

So here it goes, the melancholy of a monkey....

 Why did you break the chimney?

 Why did you break my chimney?

It was my bed, it was my tree,

Why did you break my chimney?

I loved my lovely chimney

I used to sit upon it and look,

The setting sun, the dusk, the dawn.

Atop the roof, I looked at your lawn.

There was a time when a tree,

Stood instead your chimney.

I learned to climb it to the top,

I learned to skip and jump and hop.

I used to sit and gaze the sky,

I loved to watch the ravens fly,

But then came your chimney,

And felled was my lovely tree.

But never did I complain.

I learned to live on your chimney.

Though forgetting the tree was a pain,

But you would not have thought of me.

I learned to eat and survive on your bread,

When once I used to pick apples blood red.

I stole your bread and grainery,

But it was you who taught me robbery.

My children do not go to school,

They were to learn to swing on trees.

But with your house in place of it,

They learnt to run up the chimney.

And now you have broken it too

You broke my bed, my children's school.

Where should I sleep and where should I sit?

Tell me why shouldn't I trouble you?

Oh! My lovely chimney.

The very one, I loved to sit on.

With sweet sweet memories,

Alas! the chimney is now gone.