Smile Poem by Jackie Ann

Smile

You see my family on TV
Primates living wild and free
You know their names and playful glee
But you never did meet me

I am a baby monkey
Just a few months old
Torn from my mother's arms
Into a numbered cell so cold

My bed was leaves and grass and trees
With family all around
Now I sleep in a tiny cage
Upon a cold hard ground

I heard I'm here for research
And that my life will change
They think I have no feelings
Just an experiment in a cage

With suction cups clamped to my eyes
Techs fill another vile
Chemicals burn my vein and brain
Just to see you smile

I feel a needle in my vein
No shot to numb the pain
Another through my forehead
For you who are so vane

I live in endless fear and pain
And left too weak to fight
But you'll look younger for a while
And that will make it right

A nip, a tuck, a little tug
And you'll be cute as a bug!
I'm alone and terrified
And never knew a hug

I'm just a baby monkey
Used to test the latest style
What would you do if I weren't here
Just to make you smile?

Thank God for A.L.F. and PETA
Who are so kind and brave
To risk their lives in hope
That it's my life they will save…

When that day comes for me
If I make that extra mile
I'll join my family on TV
And the world will see me smile