No bonobo, chimp, nor orangutan

Has eyes set in orbs of white.

Gorillas eyes, like forest’s “Old Man”,

Mimic those of the troglodyte.

None of the great apes, save man,

Have such attention arresting eyes:

Their direction of interest or plan,

Obviously on specific prize.

In any niche of environment,

Qualities that give leverage —

  As all vie for sustainment —

Expand fertility, on average.

This leads to compounding —

And white-eyed fecundity

Recursively redounding

To the benefit of pallidity.

So our eyes have a white edge

By compounding colorless shape.

But by what lever did that wedge

Give advantage over another ape?

The key lies in observation:

Apes don’t follow the gaze

Of keeper’s eyes’ activation —

Unless her head also sways.

But human young, juxtaposed,

Often follow eyes direction,

Yet head turning, eyes closed,

Evokes little interest correction.

Eyes tell what is being thought,

Accelerating word association —

The object with what’s taught —

Facilitates verbal appropriation.

So that first chance accident

Separating iris from orbital skin --

In that distant antecedent —

With lighter color, let us win.

Verbal skill — human agglomeration,

Lets us talk, read and write —

The learned tools of cooperation,

Ours, ‘cause our eyes turned white.

© 2007 R. Leland Waldrip