The Funky Monkey Hug
Zoologists do it,
driven by instinct,
tapping into the collective
unconscious. Primates
invented it, gathered
in gangs on grassy
tundra, rubbing
asses against tactile
tree bark in reward
of relief.
And when
it comes, they signal
in sign language
to their benevolent captors
that they love them
freely, flicking fleas
at each other
and tossing dried
turds like footballs.
Larry O. Dean was born and raised in Flint, Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan, during which time he won three Hopwood Awards in Creative Writing. He is author of numerous chapbooks, including I Am Spam (2004), a series of poems “inspired” by junk email (his poems presented in this issue of WV? as well). In addition to writing, he is a singer-songwriter, performing solo as well as with several pop bands: The Injured Parties (current); Post Office (2001); The Me Decade (2002). Dean was a 2004 recipient of the Hands on Stanzas Gwendolyn Brooks Award, presented by the Poetry Center of Chicago.