Timekeepers

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The time has come, the Monkey said,
to speak of great concerns:
Of hunger famine war and peace
of if the tide can turn
and why such greed is commonplace
and whether man will learn.

(Mamarachel, 2/9/03)

The Rube mentioned that he had posted a picture of the Delacorte Clock to his friend, who then described a play she wrote which was centered around this clock. It sounded like a great play, and the Rube asked if he could summarize it here. But after looking at the site and picture of the clock, and in light of current events, his friend was moved to write the above poem for inclusion here instead.

Following is a description of the clock from Central Park's website:

"Between the Wildlife Center and the Children's Zoo is the George Delacorte Musical Clock built on a triple archway of brick. Every hour on the hour one of 32 nursery rhyme tunes plays while a bear with tambourine, a hippopotamus with violin, a goat with pan pipes, a kangaroo and offspring with horns, and a penguin with drum glide around the base of the clock. At the top of the clock two monkeys appear to strike a bell. On the half-hour, the mechanical performance is a bit shorter, but still delightful. The audience for the clock's performance is a tableau in anticipation: parents pointing out each animal's ballet move to their children, and the children's faces flushed with wonder at what will happen next."