Think of her writing those lists, all
those pithy observations. Famous
people, famous books. You suffer,

he said, from a surfeit of mimetic
desire. There is only one solution:
turn it and turn it, not again, but into

a telephone. Yes, it may become
literature, or it may simply become
a crustacean and crawl away. We were

appalled by the movie, though some of us
actually liked it. Do you remember?
It was a long time ago, and may even

seem quaint now. So it goes. If you
keep volunteering, you will never be
picked. I’m so sorry for you.

__________________________________

You’ve got to be kidding. How much
longer will you be able to inhabit this divine
sepulchre? The demotic is no friend of yours.

Trust me.