I.
bushmeat consumption has been forbidden since 1965

but Jungle Girl doesn’t know it –

there’s armadillo roast for dinner

& she foraged wild strawberries for dessert

II.

Jungle Girl gets her period:

she sits by the river bank for a whole day

& thinks it’s her turn to become a star –

the piranhas were only a myth

III.

due to several fish hook/duck neck accidents

Jungle Girl is no longer allowed to go fishing:

duck eggs are the family favourite –

she dries her rattlesnake skins on guava branches instead

IV.

Jungle Girl is ashamed of her hay fever

foreign linden irritates her tropical sinuses & lungs

& she’s not surprised:

European honey doesn’t freeze in winter

V.

there’s a snake in the pool, so you call Jungle Girl

she reaches for the broomstick & teaches you:

hold it underwater because those ones

they like to play dead