Thanking a Monkey

There’s a monkey in my mind
swinging on a trapeze,
reaching back to the past or leaning into the future,
never standing still.
Sometimes I want to kill that monkey,
shoot it square between the eyes so I won’t have to think anymore or feel the pain of worry.
But today I thanked her
and she jumped down straight into my lap, trapeze still swinging
as we sat still.