2 MONKEYS (for James Cole)

Steady my mind.
Hear my voice.
Reaching out,
I make my choice.
no braver girl could win my heart -
every burdened, bewildered part.

If she knew
from whence I came,
would her feeling be the same?
Where children died,
and women cried,
and men went mad
on every side.
Where the present's pain
is blamed on the
past's pride.

Touch my hand.
Hear my voice.
No one else
dispute my choice.
No stranger man could win my heart -
every beleagured, befuddled part.

If he knew
how I got this name
would his feelings be the same?
The harried world
of this harried girl,
to live and die
with credentials unfurled.
Where my diamonds
are trumped by
a colleague's pearls.

(based on 12 Monkeys)