<html aria-label="message body"><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><span style="font-size: 22px;"> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">Me & My Monkey</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">I don’t know about you,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">but I like my monkey mind—</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">the hand that reaches,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">the foot that grabs.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">Like a feminine mongoose</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">hanging by her tail,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">silently staring with round,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">large eyes, a penetrive gaze.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">Gone in a flash,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">falling through air.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">Capable of anything.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">Not likely to listen.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">Now she’s hunched on my shoulder,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">chittering in unknown sounds—</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">something I’m supposed to remember,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">I’m sure, as if to worry.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">Sometimes she grabs my pen</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">in mid-thought, mid-line,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">and throws it over the mountain,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">or into the sand by the sea.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">Sometimes she snuggles up</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">and sleeps like a cat, watching</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">what I’m writing, her tail</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">flicking in random sways.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">I never cage her or lock the door.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">I like open windows,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">and the windward breeze,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">and the sound of the stream.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">And her screeching, flying by,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">running the palm tree,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">threatening with coconuts.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 22px;">She’s like that.</span><div style="font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"><br></span></div><div style="font-size: 22px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">- Jon G. Jackson</span></div></div></body></html>