Such Lofty Encounters

Dad didn’t get along with mom’s parents

One time he took them to the Portland zoo

During their first trip to the Left Coast 

They were prudes then, and they were prudes when they died

They were prudes when I attended their funerals

And they are remembered as prudes today by those who knew them

So the day Dad took them to the zoo

The giraffes were screwing

And such lofty encounters seldom go unnoticed

Rarely forgotten

Dad thought it was a real hoot!

The grandparents were struck dumb, struck dumb, and struck dumb

Dad knew it and tightenedthe screws

“How about those GIRAFFES?’ he mentioned

Often and long after the event

It could have been deer, or wolves or turtles

But it was Giraffes and they left a lasting impression on us all

“Just perfect,” Mom told his wide placed grin

She knew somehow, it was really Dad’s fault those giraffes were doing it 

Right there, right then, right in front of the family masters

She knew it was his fault and she told him so

During a difficult divorce settlement