In this poem I see long term memory defining the behavior of the three men. It is amazing for me to see my mother who has lost so much of her short term memory relate to the moment because that is all she can relate to. Like a small child without a past to which she can define herself. She is rootless until she sees the photos on her door which ground her and comfort her to know she is in the right place.

When I was a child I walked through the bars at the ape cage in the monkey jungle and was grabbed by the ape. My father had a tug of war with the ape to finally save me.

that is the bottom line-