I'm a monkey with an organ grinding friend. I don't really like my friend. He does give me nuts. Hard on the teeth. What's so entertaining about the two of us. Is this world so starved for entertainment? Are we that far gone? That even with the internet we still need me, this, organ grinders with monkeys? I'd like some new clothes this French sailor outfit isn't cutting it anymore.

If I could get out of this collar I'd split. I'd run. I hate organ music it sounds broken.

The organ grinder cranks out these tunes. I'll commit monkey suicide one day. He'll be cranking out tunes and he'll notice he's been dragging me, the dead monkey, for blocks. My grinder he's so into himself .He only talks to me when there are people around. He smiles at me but never looks me in the eye. Never says anything meaningful to me. Not really. Ever. Never really. So Narcissistic. So selfish. He believes that his music is worth a few euro's. A few cents, a few. It's not worth a dime. Not a pound or a shilling.

I'm sounding like a Mary Poppins but I don't mean to. I just want to swing my way out of here. Out to you. You all. If I had the chance I'd take off. I'd open a cafe somewhere. I'd pretend to be a small non-speaking person who doesn't shave. I'd pretend. 

That's easy. 

I've been being dragged around on a leash my whole life. LET MY PEOPLE GO! Dragged around looking pleasant, eating nuts. I used to have a Spanish conquistador outfit. That was truly uncomfortable.  One more thing.

I don't like banana's I'll eat them but I'm starving. 

Always starving. Always dressed in cloths I hate. 

I'll bite your ass. 

Take this collar off and I'll grab your hair and I'll bite you.

Imagine a tiny French sailor brutally attacking you. 

Blame the grinder, blame my organ grinder friend. Blame him for the news that night. When it happens, when I escape. When I pillage and destroy anything and everything. The headlines: small French sailor freaks out in public. Many people injured. A confused organ grinder's monkey is missing. A trail of peanut shells leading to the Thames. How about a latte. I'm a monkey with an organ grinding friend. Au revoir.

Vincent D’Onofrio, 2023

Curated by Animus Poetry and Performance by Vincent D’Onofrio @vincentdonofrio Animated AI Art, Music and Production by Laurence Fuller @laurencefuller