Page 193

By Jack Joseph Smith

occasion to make pirouette. The faces of the cott- on pajamaed boys in the mood of follow, reminded Animal of the foreign documentary films shown of peasants doing pinwheels at fiesta during his you- th of the fifties. Since that time his early twen- ties had taken him not to the politics and revol- utions of Africa and South America, but to the dr- inking mirage of lust; personally delivered Amer- ican C.O.D., upon the isled shores of the Caribb- ean Sea and South Pacific Ocean; Then and there he had understood how shameful poverty could be for the viewer. Now through the giving of Jiven Joe a remark again pushed back up into Animal's brain, about how similiar it was for children of white lost; or abandoned women. He squeezed his throat. The children seemed to know that... (Some things must disappear for the sake of equilibrium.) In the spell of a minuet Joe and the children continued. He was letting go of Calypso, and very unconsciously being Pachelbel. It was as if every note of his voice and slight strum of gutar were an ending to joy, though still joy; waiting with the dream, like gold but in a barmaid's eyes; and Animal began to feel like a silver plated stone, as he sat still, and smiling.

Original Scan

AI Interpretation

GPT

Animal reads the children's spinning movement through older memories of documentary poverty and tourism, which makes the joyful dance carry an undertone of historical shame.

This page is strong because it refuses simple innocence. The music and pirouettes are lovely, but Animal cannot look at them without also seeing how poverty is viewed, aestheticized, and emotionally managed from outside.

Claude

The 'cotton pajamaed boys' doing 'pinwheels' send Animal back to 'foreign documentary films' of peasants 'at fiesta' in his 'youth of the fifties,' then to his own twenties spent not 'to the politics and revolutions of Africa and South America' but on 'the drinking mirage of lust' delivered 'American C.O.D.' to Caribbean and Pacific shores - where he 'understood how shameful poverty could be for the viewer.' Joe's remark links that shame to 'children of white lost; or abandoned women,' and Animal 'squeezed his throat' on the thought '(Some things must disappear for the sake of equilibrium.)' The dance modulates from Calypso to Joe 'very unconsciously being Pachelbel,' each note 'an ending to joy, though still joy,' leaving Animal 'a silver plated stone' - the page refuses easy innocence by making beauty inseparable from the guilt of watching it.