The speaker describes watching someone cut himself, then being told to leave him alone. The speaker obeys, and soon afterward the person attempts suicide. Because he was sad, the speaker says, and then adds, "So was I." What follows is a copy of his act: the speaker tries to hang themselves, and is found by their mother, just as he was.
The title, "Monkey See Monkey Do," sums up the idea. The speaker imitates what they saw, almost as if sadness were something passed from one person to another. The short, flat lines make the poem feel numb and matter-of-fact, with very little explanation or comfort. That plainness is unsettling, because the events are so serious. There is also a hint of guilt in "So I did," where the speaker follows an instruction and perhaps wonders if leaving was a mistake. The mood is bleak and quiet, but the final lines, with the mother finding both of them, suggest that someone was there to save them.
If this poem feels close to your own life, please talk to a trusted adult or a crisis line.