Monkeying Around

At the fair, they’d beckon us in, tell us that we’d see a girl become a gorilla. They’d chant, “Girl, girl, girl, girlilla, gorilla…” Monkeying Around gorillas dressed in leopard suits, climbing the so-called “ladder of success” hopping onto tiger-rings of oak they may be gorillas but to each other, they’re monkeys kids in monkey suits paid in daily rocks white-collar players sans elevator music back in time trinkets laid out on twin beds muzak orchestra plays as we shop or we scrawl up a menu making sure the sister’s choice is the special always a crazy conglomeration we were never mean we just laughed as the other threw the pillow and it landed on the flame oops you can recoup if that happens in virtual reality or stop the action before a catastrophe happens no wonder parents like their kids to sit still i tried dressing in a leopard suit but i’m too old to climb the ladder yesteryear, i was paid in “Parcheesi” today’s chromecast: “Say cheese” returning to the present i tap the gorilla on the shoulder “Stop monkeying around,” I say, “Throw your grandma a great big kiss.”