
The prompt for my writing group this week is ‘Inside the monkey cage’. I always hated the monkey cage on day drips to the zoo. I was always a bit frightened. It felt like they were reading my mind, or I could read theirs. Their eyes were too human. I wanted to write about being afraid to confront what is in front of you, for being scared to look something in the eye. I wanted to tie it in with the terrible events this past week in Ukraine. Our world is difficult to understand. It’s hard to watch. It’s like looking yourself in the eye and it’s terrifying and heartbreaking. It’s too close to home. And yet we must look.
Play music. Turn it up loud. Dance. Get the spring cleaning done. Don’t buy the newspaper. Go for a walk. Admire the daffodils. Switch off the TV. Plan a holiday. Suggest a day trip. Post on Insta. Life is fab. Turn off the radio when it gets to the news. Pat the dog. Drink some wine. Bottoms up! Clear out your wardrobe. Keep, charity shop or bin. Scrub the floor. Bake a cake. Listen to the sea. Read a book. Chat with a friend. Don’t look. Paint a wall. Paint a picture. Go for a run. Splash in the rain. Go to work. Go on a diet. Sweep up the leaves. Wash the car. Strip the bed. Down some beer. Don’t listen to the voice saying Look, look at us. Make a pie. Feed the cat. Buy the shoes. Sing a song. Shake a cocktail. Boogie in the kitchen. Look, look at us. Raid the fridge. Surf the web. Paint your toenails. Fold the towels. Feel the wind. Plan a cruise. Dye your hair. Run a bath. Run away. Look, look at us.
I don’t want to look inside the monkey cage. Their eyes are too like mine.