monkeys business

I recently met my little brother for the first time, he's 7 years old. We spent a lifetime (for him) apart, but there is something so so comforting in the fact that we just got along like old friends. He's the best. Seriously, to know that at once, someone who was just information and news to me, could one day become not only my cool little creative brother but really like a friend. I am comforted by young children who are still so interested in creation and imagination, who embrace poems and doodles on google. We talked about simple things and nigger things, like why we didn't know one another for 7 years, but also how we liked the weather and our drawings. There was just something so comforting in sharing the good things, and having his lightness and enthusiasm really be a driving force for that. T know that all the pressure 'adults' have on things because of experience and memories; that some relationships can actually be a clean slate. So, he told me some of his comforts and I shared some of mine with him. Together, we made morning drawings this precious time for us. Here is his take on monkeys, with two magic tails, inspired by this poem below:

“The monkeys who dance with their eyes closed,

The monkeys with two magic tails

The monkeys are dancing their love songs

The monkeys never fear that they’ll fail

The monkeys make love in the treetops,

A declaration of love to the earth

The monkeys who swing from the mountains

Bring signs of blessing, welcome birth.

For when the monkeys wed,

The sky is sure to cry

The sun will still shine brightly,

The birds will be flying high.”

(And if you are confused, and cannot remember the rhyme, just remember it is simple: