lions and tigers and bears...oh my!

"someone told me it's all happening at the zoo"...saturday at the bronx zoo...me, and mike, and lauren...originally billed as a "please go with me so i can finish my damned anthropology paper" by lauren, the day actually became a nice "family" moment...as we crossed the entrance we realized that the last time we'd been there was about 14 years ago...too long...map in hand, we plotted our course...first stop...the lions...basking in the warm noon sun were simba and nala...the fence was jam-packed with families...toddlers on shoulders...phone cameras, and some real ones too, clicking furiously...and then it happened...the lion sniffed the lioness and within seconds...little voices yelling..."mommy...daddy...what's he doing"...sex-ed 101...next zebras...up around the bend...all the while my silent prayer that all my body parts would survive the uphill walk that is a large section of the zoo...then more assorted large animals, and then a beautiful giraffe, oblivious to the world...devoted to his lunch...which made us realize how hungry we were...after our lunch it was the congo and the gorillas...as i leaned to watch this group...the large "alpha" male, who gave us quite a show with his up to the glass grin, and then retreat to his rock, and his family...i thought back to "gorillas in the mist" and sigourney weaver's brilliant portrayal of dian fossey...and of course my mind wandered...who the hell beat her that year at the oscars...and i had to google it..ah, jodie foster, "the accused"...where was i?...ah, yes...the gorillas...when they all looked like they were collectively doing the "we're bored performing so we are going to pretend to sleep" routine...we moved on...the reptile house...snakes...safely behind glass...me, imagining shoes and pocketbooks...a smiling turtle...then outside...a majestic tiger...so few left on this earth it makes you cry...beautiful snow leopards...a lone polar bear...pacing in boredom or perhaps hoping for a moron to scale the fence...an afternoon bite...we were getting punchy...we were approaching the 5 hour mark...we sauntered the downhill descent to the exit and our car...a nice afternoon and a pleasant time as a family...with college graduation a mere three weeks for lauren i got a bit wistful...and secretly was glad for that anthro paper...it's all happening at the zoo...i do believe it...i do believe it's true...