Wire Mom

I read about that study
where baby monkeys
were taken from their mothers

In isolation, they could pick
a wire mom or a cloth mom

It didn’t matter which had a bottle of milk
The babies chose the cloth mom

They picked comfort and affection over food
They ran to the cloth mother when they were scared
They stayed calm when frightened
Because they had a cloth mom

If the babies only had a wire mom
They paced around their cage
And hurt themselves

I had a wire mom
She was coarse and rigid
She would lash out and prick me
I didn’t feel safe
Even if I didn’t realize it at the time

It hurt

Now I’m a wire man
Cold, detached, pessimistic
My wire mom taught me how to hurt people
How to puncture and skewer

I think about those baby monkeys
Taken from their mothers
And the fear and loneliness they felt
They wanted warmth and comfort and safety
All things a wire mother can’t provide

Now I’m a wire man but I can choose to wear cloth
Over the wires
I’m not helpless like those poor baby monkeys

They only cage I have
Is the one I built for myself