The yak is the talkative species of ox
and that’s how he passes the bull.
And over the eyes of the sheep in their flocks,
he’s usually pulling the wool.
The way you can tell them apart is a snap
for the fact of the matter is
the bull never bothers to open his yap
and the yak never closes his.
The leopard, the lion, the hawk and the dove
are scribbling notes in the snow
as they listen to speeches and sermons on love
from the yak who surely should know.
Not a bull can be heard in the Himalayas –
the bulls have gone home to relax.
The racket you hear in the mountains all day is
the yackety-yackety-yaks.
– by J Patrick Lewis
