All around the jungles
Where the orang utans swing
The loss of Birute Galdikas
Seemingly does bring
A period of mourning
Of crying from the soul
Their mistress has left for heaven
Leaving their control
And care to other humans
Their saviour seemingly
Dormant and not thinking
Of them unfortunately
The last surviving Leakey babe
Closed her eyes and left
Leaving the great crimson apes
Alone and now bereft
Arboreal persuasion
What was their lady who
Was human but half ape as well
Their long time friend so true
She knew them from the inside out
Their mindset she did share
All these years of helping them
Giving them the care
She became closer to apes
than people of her kind
Every moment of every day
She helped them to unwind
We arborial’s lost everything
Our forest where we viewed
Palm oil was the devils oil
It’s production screwed
Us making us subservient
And more sickly everyday
Our ability to live our lives
That palm oil took away
The corporate initiative.
Created hell on earth
Our trees were ripped down to the ground
We had lost the worth
Our bodies not designed to walk
Across the jungle floor
And galdikas our mistress goddess
Helped us fight the war
What is going to happen
Now our Angel has passed on
Our spirit and our future
Seemingly has gone
Camp Leakey can it prosper
Can we actually proclaim
A future that is possible
Without her resilient flame
All our rich warm jungles
All the different trees
Most are lost forever
For palm oil if you please
Oil palm is our death knell
All the jungles die
Rats and owls and cobra’s
Are the new ones that now lie
In these vile plantations
Whilst we are shot and killed
Some were raped by loggers
When our blood was spilled
Now Galdikas has left us
What are we to do
But sink into the earth that’s left
And cry out we loved You
Rex Tyler is a Poet, Campaigner, former owner of an organic shop of 30 years, and Public Speaker living in Berkhamsted, UK.