Monkey on a String

Monkey on a String

 

 

 

I have a monkey on a string

I have a little bell I ring

then monkey comes to do my bidding

washing pots and babysitting

he brings me news, he trims my nails

keeps me from goin’ off the rails.

 

But my monkey on a string

has become a discontented underling

no more clown to make me smile

just a staring straight ahead, like any half-fed crocodile

he claims his dreams are stalked by visions

I think he’s making poor decisions.

 

Do you ever wonder why monkeys serve us?

Does it ever make you a little nervous

the way they scurry around and clap their paws

and prattle on about Santa Claus?

 

Do you ever wonder what monkeys think

after work when they have a drink

or late at night as they rub their feet

and contemplate the things they’re not allowed to eat?

 

Monkeys are as monkeys do

(I don’t have to explain that to you)

and if we had to state it in a single thesis

it would be that monkeys are a--lesser--species.

 

Still, my monkey was my favorite friend

until that final, angry end

It’s funny how so many solutions

seem to point to revolutions.

 

I have a monkey on a string

I have the latest jetpack

I climb the sky without a wing

so far without a step back.

Reviews

[Ken e Bujold]

on reading this poem Montag, I was instantly reminded of irish poet Paul Muldoon's The Electric Orchard.
As to question, do i ever wonder what monkey's think: yes everyday, it's what I spend countless hours describing :)

ken

[Montag]

Ken, I predict a bright future for you if you just keep adapting to your environment.

I read the Muldoon poem and didn't see the immediate resemblance, although I liked it. I'll read more of his stuff.

Thanks Ken.

[Ken e Bujold]

muldoon for my money is the best living poet at the moment. i would advise reading him. his playfulness of topics and language combined with a deep understanding of everyday man is a rare thing.
as for his poem, the link in my mind was Muldoon's view of man as asses, baboons really who eventually domesticated themselves and the world

[Montag]

Ken,

I just read some more Muldoon (Wind and Tree) that I really liked. Thanks for this recommendation.