Zoo

A butler opens the door

After having arranged the furniture just right.

The cooks are in the kitchen

Picking at their pots

Grinding spices.

The Viscount and Lady

Are speaking in the Drawing room

As the servants all listen carefully

To see if the turf was rolled out just right

The little tree swings placed just right—

I’m sorry, the carpets cleaned and couches plumped.

Everything must be just precise

For the engagement to be cheerful.

One mishap,

A little too much savory in a dish

Or a little too much thyme in a soup

Could ruin the evening

And therefore ruin the courtship patterns

Of these dignified beasts.

Understand, this is not communist literature.

It is, rather, a fact that every butler,

Cook and personal servant might enjoy.