To Weep, Perchance to Dream

If non-primates set their marks upon this world,

Their views, their memes, their sins.

Would they a lady’s slipper see,

Or different worlds within?

Perhaps instead, a feline grace,

A fleeting hippo muse,

A mantid’s dream,

Archaean’s space,

A raptor’s edge-sharp hues.

But in their darkest dreams and fears,

In their most dismal hours,

I fear they see a primate face

And feel a primate’s power…