i am a rhesus monkey, i live in a cage.
a man named henry watches me, like he watches the rest.
in all of our cages, he gives us two mothers, a provider and a lover.
in almost all our cages.

henry likes to scare us, and afterwards he writes in a notebook.
i sit in my cage and look around, at all the other monkeys
as they jump into the arms of their loving mother.
i look around my cage, empty except for the provider.

did henry forget? did he mean to give me one, but just forgot?
or did i not earn it

I hate Henry.

i wanna break my silence
though it's not really there
i think i talk to you a lot actually.
even then I'm still on the fence
about whether or not it'd be fair
to tell you.

i love you and you know i do.
but we both know i don't know
what that means.
it's confusing when you
somehow still show
me your understanding of love.

you jot something down about one of my traits
and you call it love.
and yes i love you, but that's not where my mind is when i open my mouth
and start rambling.
yet you still write down
"love is when you explain..."

i love you
and i'd love to know what that means