The Fear of Monkeys - The Best E-Zine on the Web for Politically Conscious WritingThe Maroon Leaf Monkey - Issue Twenty-Five
The Fear of Monkeys
Get To Know

The Maroon Leaf Monkey: photo from Christian ArtusoThe Maroon Leaf Monkey is found on the southeast Asian island of Borneo and the nearby smaller Karimata. They mostly live in forests at altitudes below 2,000 m. They feed on leaves, seeds and fruits and are equipped with a large, chambered stomach like a cow, which allows them to digest their fibrous food. They avoid sweet, ripe fruit because the sugars disrupt the delicate balance of their complex stomachs. They live in bands of 2 to 13 individuals, led by a dominant male, and spend nearly all their time in the trees. They have broad, dark-colored faces with wide, expressive eyes and average between 6.2 to 6.3 kilograms. They are highly territorial and will challenge any intruders within their home range. Males emit a loud call to demarcate their territory and warn rivals. This species is under some pressure from hunting and habitat loss, but they are still quite common throughout their range. They are protected by law throughout Malaysian Borneo.
   


What is Best

by

Ken Poyner


Don't mind him:
He is here to give up a kidney.
They all get nervous about it,
When the times for their operations edge closer.
Happy to sign, quick
To cash, late
For surgery. You can spot them
Just after they have gotten on the list:
Already they will have started their binge.
For half of them, the money is gone
Before the anesthesia is applied.
Makes you wonder how well
The organ you are paying for
Has been taken care of. Black market,
You can get a choice of kidneys,
A whole liver rather than a slice,
Lungs that are matched:
All from healthy, unsuspecting
Donors. The price may be a bit steep;
But if everything is kept on the quiet,
I really think there is less chance of rejection.
And what is too much to pay for your health?

Ken Poyner has lately been seen in Analog, Café Irreal, The Journal of Microliterature, Blue Collar Review, and many wonderful places. His latest book of bizarre short fiction, Constant Animals, is available at Barking Moose Press. He is married to Karen Poyner, one of the world’s premier power lifters, and holder of more than a dozen current world power lifting records. They are the parents of four rescue cats, and two senseless fish.
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