The Animals All Are Gathering

Instructions on Running Over a Cat

55 instructions on running over a Cat The man in the Jaguar has a friend and he is animated to talk to his friend and has attention only for (1) his friend and (2) the point his friend must have made, outrageous, partially informed, bound to put any reasonable conversant in a twist. It could be about the monstrous claims a monster on TV claimed, or the failure of athlete X to accomplish feat Y for which his briefly lithe impossible body, bulked by a serum that apes the savannah’s most bounding animals, is amply paid. Maybe they’re in a twist over a third party, maybe their roguish friend—one accuses him, one defends him— their predatory friend who should not have touched that woman just slightly inside her thigh if only because his son was watching and became embarrassed for his father and so forced his gaze paul text i-84 -3.indd 55 7/20/10 3:17 PM 56 onto the bubblegum tattoo already a blue smear on his wrist wherein was the picture from the story of the costumed man who by mimicking a rodent or a spider became good enough to save other men. Moral A: Heroes witness their fathers’ deaths, not their indulgences. Moral B: There must always be a cartoon upon which children might gaze. But their friend is himself a cartoon anymore and it must be this summary that incenses the man in the Jaguar, that makes him defensive and makes his gestures defensive and thrashing. Wired to invisible antagonists and invisible commands and invisible provocations, he is almost a robotic ape piloting a brilliant bounding machine, except his silver cellular robot headset pinches a normal human ear. This animated man to your right is not insane or unduly cruel, is not a steel Grendel with whom to parry. He just has a friend paul text i-84 -3.indd 56 7/20/10 3:17 PM 57 and is angry with him exactly now and therefore has no remaining attention for speculative you, whose forty miles per hour multiplied by two thousand pounds yields a momentum completely identical to his. Inventive you, whose animal of hatred, with one claw hanging forever in about-to-charge, made you accelerate into this slot. And now there is a dump truck behind you and a guardrail on your left. Tap your brakes if you think it helps, but, overall, drive straight. paul text i-84 -3.indd 57 7/20/10 3:17 PM ...