Cartoon Physics, part 1

By Nick Flynn

<sub>Children under, say, ten, shouldn't know
that the universe is ever-expanding,
inexorably pushing into the vacuum, galaxies

swallowed by galaxies, whole

solar systems collapsing, all of it
acted out in silence. At ten we are still learning

the rules of cartoon animation,

that if a man draws a door on a rock
only he can pass through it.
Anyone else who tries

will crash into the rock. Ten-year-olds
should stick with burning houses, car wrecks,
ships going down -- earthbound, tangible

disasters, arenas

where they can be heroes. You can run
back into a burning house, sinking ships

have lifeboats, the trucks will come
with their ladders, if you jump

you will be saved. A child

places her hand on the roof of a schoolbus,
& drives across a city of sand. She knows

the exact spot it will skid, at which point
the bridge will give, who will swim to safety
& who will be pulled under by sharks. She will learn

that if a man runs off the edge of a cliff
he will not fall

until he notices his mistake.</sub>

,.~*' My Reaction '*~,.

I nodded my head as I read this poem, because it is true that anyone as a child had lived in a fantasized world at some point. I too, always thought that I could be a hero because of what happens in movies and cartoons, that I wouldn't get hurt and always escape troubles. In reality, however, this may not be true, and that is the sad part about life; no matter who you are, nature is still merciless. Children think that good things will always happen, or bad things won't. My favorite line was "She will learn that if a man runs off the edge of a cliff he will not fall until he notices his mistake." because that reminded me of so many cartoons, having characters float in mid air until they realize their situation, and other physically impossible things. Though humorous, at the same time it is quite sad, because it indicates the unpredicting nature of events, so whether the person is aware or not, it would still happen. The world has a dark part, but many children wouldn't understand it, like those who jump off a roof with an umbrella like Mary Poppins, or trying a dangerous move like an action character. Those who are unfortunate would receive the same consequences of those who are already aware.

The poem overall expressed such sarcasm very well, not only to humor children's views, but to express the dark reality in a humorous way with such great example. There are many stories and poems that directly indicate the sad truth of the world, so this was quite original. Sometimes I feel the same way about young children, thinking that nothing bad would happen to them, while they are only a pitiful percentage of the whole population living on earth waiting to be eaten up. I suppose thinking that way is not necessarily bad, but I feel bad that someday they have to be awaken from their delightful dreams.