Fugue 31 - Summer/Fall 2006 (No. 31)

Page 135

Aquaman

tiful, really, these distinct dialects of clicks and whistles ... And they know when to keep quiet-They split up so each of them must make the kill alone. This allows for individual variability and limits guilt. It's hard to feel sympathy when the fish are so predictable, but they keep on coming, which might suggest a virtue. According to most models, it's likely that our planetary successors will not resemble us in any way and will evolve from what is now the most unpromising of species, which rules out killer whales and salmon. It's probably here already, biding its time. Hard not to be concerned by this, which means it won't be. It will not speak of love or propagate for any reason but pleasure. It will not war over mistakes or, worse, try for a lifetime to correct what it has gotten wrong. It will consume without thinking of its own insignificance, because there is no use in being afraid of what you are. (Have you noticed how quickly your fingerprints vanish in the heavy varnish of the sea?) After they've eaten their fill, these silly whales resume their chatter in the shallows, dragging their 3-ton bodies over pebbles. For pleasure. I!'

Summer - Fall 2006

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