First Came the Weasel

by Bart Edelman

First came the weasel;
Whacked as he was.
Oh, he had a tale to tell,
But no one would listen.
Then the impala issued
His rather strident platform,
And there were a few murmurs—
Mostly rustling, at best.
When the monkey finally spoke,
He was met with such derision,
We were left leaderless, again.

Some folks wanted me drafted—
A voice of reason, they claimed.
Yet who in their right mind
Would elect an old hippo,
Especially, in this day and age.
No, I’m done with the political rot.
Sure, I was a hack at one time;
However, top dog is another matter.
I’m thinking of moving abroad.
But the shipping expense alone,
For a creature like me,
Would make it impossible
To lead any decent life afterwards.

So I’ll take my chances here,
In the morass I know well.
Besides, there’s a young kangaroo—
Now making the rounds—
Who offers new options.
Perhaps, we should hear him out;
After all, there’s nothing to lose.