Got your letter today. Have to say,
it's a bit on the angry side.
Don't get me wrong, I loved the part about the whale
and also the girls sleeping with their drunk father,
but generally there's this strain of
"I'm gonna get you, I'm gonna get you."
Very focused on other people's faults.
And the whole "I'm putting this apple here,
but don't eat it" ---
why lead with that story?
You don't start with a story like that
for just no reason.
And please don't say "it was just chronological";
in any story
someone decides to edit.
Certainly in this garden
there were some adventures with animals
other than the snake ---
Lions, monkeys, alligators:
these are interesting animals
and I'm sure they had their follies.
For example; "The monkey
stole the alligator's grapes
and climbed into a cercropia tree.
The alligator could do nothing.
The lion did not help."
It just seems like if this were such a wonderful garden
there would be a lot of nice stories to tell as well ---
Don't you think it's a little curious
that an "omniscient" person would be so surprised
that the apple got eaten?
--- From The Animals Are All Gathering
Bradley Park
©2010 University of Pittsburgh Press
