In the Primate Building

In the Primate Building
by Holly Day
The monkeys stare solemnly back at me through the glass
and I know my days are numbered, that something awful
is going to happen to me soon. I’m not sure why
I know this. I’m also not sure if this something horrible
is confined only to me, or if the marmosets
mean something apocalyptic for all of humanity.

Back home, I scour the Internet for prophesies
involving harbinger monkeys, telepathic monkeys
psychic monkeys. There are just too many results
for me to go through them all. There are just too many
other people out there that are also
terrified of things monkey have told them

for the messages to not be real.

* * *
Holly Day’s poetry has recently appeared in Plainsongs, The Long Islander, and The Nashwaak Review. Her newest poetry collections are A Perfect Day for Semaphore (Finishing Line Press),  In This Place, She Is Her Own (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press), A Wall to Protect Your Eyes (Pski’s Porch Publishing), I'm in a Place Where Reason Went Missing (Main Street Rag Publishing Co.), and The Yellow Dot of a Daisy (Alien Buddha Press).

What inspires you to write and keep writing?

I write because I love to write. It’s a purely selfish activity for me. More than anything, the joy I get from writing has carried me through many dark periods in my life. I can honestly say I’m happiest when I’m writing, whether it’s poetry, nonfiction, or fiction—I love it all.