Singing Apes

A brown ape stops at a gap
between branches and spies another bough.

Whooping, the gibbon flies out of cover,
landing on the next branch.
Hornbills take off in fright,
and a giant squirrel retreats.

The gibbons swings across the spur,
her feet dangling.
Sighting her black-haired mate,
she swivels her wrists and leaps.

He begins to sing.
His throat resonates to his tune,
a deep-chested bass which turns
into a shrill cry and back again.

His song floods the forest,
echoes through the mist,
joined by his mate's chorus.
The singing apes meet
at the top of the tallest tree.

They survey the Himalayas
sheltering the rising sun.
Their calls forming a duet, they swing
through the canopy together.