Laughless Giraffe

I thought the world funny
when my neck was still short.
I would giggle, guffaw,
Chortle, chuckle, and snort.
I would titter and roar
till I rolled on the floor.
I continued to snigger
even as I grew bigger.
Everything seemed a joke
from the moment I woke.
But when I reached full height
and my neck elongated,
I saw so much I hated
that my laughter abated.

I saw wars fought for oil,
and my brothers recruited.
Plus it makes my blood boil
to see rivers polluted
in pursuit of more money.
And now nothing seems funny.
When you’re tall as a tree
you can never not see.
Were I nearer your size,
I could tell myself lies.
I could close both my eyes.

But up there, a giraffe
finds no reason to laugh.

Watch the Laughless Giraffe music video.

Laughless Giraffe music by Marisa Michelson.

Vocals by Elon Rutberg.

Video by Kate Feiffer.