The Fear of Monkeys - The Best E-Zine on the Web for Politically Conscious WritingWied's Marmoset - Issue Twenty-Nine
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Wied's marmoset  from  Lars Curfs Wied's Marmoset is a New World monkey that lives in lowland and sub-montane humid forest, seasonal rain forest, and white sand piaçava forest of eastern Brazil. They are also known to use cacao plantations which are shaded with some native trees remaining from the original forest, and secondary growth forest in abandoned rubber plantations. They eat fruits, flowers, nectar, plant exudates (gums, saps, latex) and animal prey (including frogs, snails, lizards, spiders and insects). They gouge trees trunks, branches and vines of certain species to stimulate the flow of gum, which they eat, and in some species form a notable component of the diet. Since these are harvested from the middle and lower part of the forest, they often travel and forage in the company of the golden-headed lion tamarin, which is also foraging in the canopy. The coloring of Wied's marmoset is mostly black, with white markings on cheeks and forehead. It has rings on its tail and black tufts of fur coming out of its ears. They are distinguished from the other monkeys of the New World by their small size, modified claws rather than nails on all digits except the big toe, the presence of two as opposed to three molar teeth in either side of each jaw, and by the occurrence of twin births. Unlike other marmosets, they lives in groups consisting of 4 or 5 females and 2 or 3 males (plus children). They are matriarchal, and only the dominant female is allowed to mate. They are highly social, spending much of their time grooming. They have individually distinctive calls, and also communicate through gestures and olfactory markings. The groups defend home ranges 10-40 hectares, the size depending on availability and distribution of foods and second-growth patches. They are currently listed as Near Threatened as they are believed to have experienced a decline in the order of 20-25% over the past 18 years primarily as a result of habitat loss. They are also eaten by birds of prey (the harpy eagle, the gray hawk, the roadside hawk and the white-tailed hawk), felines (the jaguar, jaguarundi and ocelot) and snakes. Since it is rather adaptable to anthropogenic disturbance, declines are unlikely to be such that the species would require listing in a threatened category.

   


There are Fellow Travelers and then There are Fellow Travelers

by

Andrés Castro

I

Ruben choked on his vomit today; had
felt the urge to vomit before; but today
he tilted his head back and guzzled. He
had begun to vomit months ago--a little
at first: barely perceptible squirts attributed
to clams. When trickles turned to mouthfuls
he knew something was truly wrong…so bloody
wrong thoughts of getting to a doctor made him
laugh. What MD could save him now? He knew
vomit was no joke, not to be played with, not
ignored. Rubin remembered a student who
vomited herself to death after a boyfriend
said she was too fat to be his girl. She
wasted away, her eyes black pits,
sitting still in Introduction
to The Romantics

at Penn U.

II

Ruben's friend Jim,
the cook, had drowned
in vomit in his reclining chair.
Had told Ruben and whoever listened
that he dreamed himself an intergalactic traveler
stranded on Earth. Jim grew old saying the human species
was ruled by reptilian aliens enslaving and consuming. Listen,
the colonizers are everywhere!
He threw up in the soup of everyone
he thought collaborator before leaving The Sky High on the Upper East Side.

III

Ruben's vomiting had begun in the teacher's lounge after getting news his son
committed suicide--had begged his boy not to enlist--saying more to fear
from a homegrown racist with a grudge. His son had crowed he was proud
to be an American--laughed the bitches love medals on hard Marines!


Ruben went mad with his son's death; all the new lies called victories
in Afghanistan and Iraq finished him. Epitaph: I learned too late.

IV

The young teacher that jumped into Ruben's shoes
was straight out of college and a tender heart--did
not complain at all about the smell of vomit, vomit
on the floor, or the crusty yellow stains on his desk.
Told his Principal: sure, the Common Core is a great idea!
These kids need discipline and middle class values!


Andrés Castro is a PEN member/volunteer and is also listed in the Directory of Poets and Writers. This poem first appeared in The Acentos Review. More recently, his work appeared in Pilgrimage, Counterpunch, New Verse News, and Montreal Serai. He maintains a blog for new and not so new practicing poets: https://thepracticingpoet.edublogs.org.

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