Monkey Nuts

.

“I am the seasoned traveler

of the Labyrinth.

The Genius of alacrity,

wizard of the impossible.

My brilliance is yet unmatched

in its originality.

My heart’s filled with potent magic

that could cast a hundred spells.

I am put together

for my own pleasure.

I am the Monkey.”

― Theodora Lau, The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes

.

Being a monkey,

is an arduous responsibility

people expect so much of you

and it’s very tempting to let them down

gently

of course

although they may hit a few branches along the way

(even monkeys fall from trees

so we know how that can hurt

one’s pride).

.

According to people

a monkey

is

NOT

supposed to

see

hear

speak

or even

do

evil,

which makes it impossible to indulge natural curiosity

or do anything at all

and even if you do nothing at all

you still get accused of being mischievous.

.

They demand that you entertain them

bring a laugh to their lips

a smile to their eyes

a chuckle to their belly

but then they balk at the way you go about it

(apparently throwing delicious nuts at them

isn’t funny

it seemed like a good idea at the time

I must remember to pass this information on

to the other monkeys of the world

via our special monkey magic alphabet).

.