Poetic License: ‘Pianos For Primates’

(Found Poetry Series)
More than 130 guests
dressed in jungle attire
paid $150 each to attend
Pianos for Primates,
a fund-raiser aimed
not at raising funds to teach
chimpanzees Chopin
or baboons Beethoven
but to provide the lemurs
of Jungle Jim’s Gardens
with long overdue recognition and resources
for their endangered brethren on Madagascar,
one of the world’s most endangered places.
After last year’s successful
Pianos for Panthers raised $80,000,
Jungle Jim’s co-owner John Weissmuller
decided pianos would provide the key
for helping wildlife:
“We’ve held lemurs captive in our zoos
for a couple of decades
and we wanted to do something for them.”
World-renowned conductor M. T. Joseph Young
who has performed in such places as
Carnegie Hall, Covent Garden and La Scala
opened his megahouse for the event
that featured an evening of music, food
and Primate Education.
“That’s what they’re here for.” Young said
about his four pianos and other instruments,
“here for people to enjoy, a wonderful way
to celebrate music for a great cause.”
Endangered lemurs were among the guests,
allowing people to get a close look
at the world’s most endangered primates
while they participated in a silent auction
of paintings, photographs, jewelry
and antique barrel organs.
BMW of SW Florida
contributed a two- year car-lease
of the top-rated X5 SUV,
(“Beemers for Lemurs”
was the dealer’s recommended slogan)
for the raffle won by Robert Armstrong,
who donated several primate finger paintings,
water colors and collages
from his famous Endangered Species art collection,
“I really believe in the zoo and what they’re doing.
Some of my best pieces
have been produced in their cages.”
All the money raised will go to
the Madagascar Animal Farm
and Ringtail Rights Groups,
50 zoos and organizations around the world
that pool their resources to help find
suitable foster-care and zoo environments
for the endangered fauna of Madagascar,
80 percent of whom
are found nowhere else on the planet.
Weissmuller plans to have music help
even more wildlife in the future.
“Next year, Tunes for Tigers,”
he beamed with anticipation.