Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Green and crunchy
Last night I found myself in a friend’s apartment staring at a rather large, dead, praying mantis.
It was prone on a copy of “Speaking Korean” which was displayed prominently on the kitchen table.
At first I just happened to notice it out of the corner of my eye. My brain, slow on the uptake required a second glance.
Surely there cannot be a two-inch bug reclining next to me.
I looked away, blinked, rubbed my eyes a bit. I looked back.
It was still there.
It’s wings splayed out in all kinds of dead glory.
I couldn’t help but stare.
My mouth is typically faster than my brain. It’s typically faster than my tact and good sense. Even my mouth was surprised and couldn’t find the words to ask about such an event.
Before my mouth could come up with a comment, my eyes saw a plate of crackers being passed my way. Directly over the pale green carcass. Right over the body.
How do you ask about something so very obvious? How do you phrase the question?
“Please, pass the cheese. Oh and by the way, you have a bug three inches from the jam.”
“Is the Mantis part of your new décor? Does it assist in the Feung Sheu of the room some how?”
As my brain ran through the possible tactful methods of questioning, time passed. The kind of passing that takes you farther and farther from the moment where you can actually comment on a strange occurrence such as this without seeming either daft or incredibly unobservant.
Time passed slowly.
The bug remained.
I left without solving the mystery. That bug might be there still.
(Yes, for the record... you did wait an entire 5 weeks for a story about dead things and crackers.)
It was prone on a copy of “Speaking Korean” which was displayed prominently on the kitchen table.
At first I just happened to notice it out of the corner of my eye. My brain, slow on the uptake required a second glance.
Surely there cannot be a two-inch bug reclining next to me.
I looked away, blinked, rubbed my eyes a bit. I looked back.
It was still there.
It’s wings splayed out in all kinds of dead glory.
I couldn’t help but stare.
My mouth is typically faster than my brain. It’s typically faster than my tact and good sense. Even my mouth was surprised and couldn’t find the words to ask about such an event.
Before my mouth could come up with a comment, my eyes saw a plate of crackers being passed my way. Directly over the pale green carcass. Right over the body.
How do you ask about something so very obvious? How do you phrase the question?
“Please, pass the cheese. Oh and by the way, you have a bug three inches from the jam.”
“Is the Mantis part of your new décor? Does it assist in the Feung Sheu of the room some how?”
As my brain ran through the possible tactful methods of questioning, time passed. The kind of passing that takes you farther and farther from the moment where you can actually comment on a strange occurrence such as this without seeming either daft or incredibly unobservant.
Time passed slowly.
The bug remained.
I left without solving the mystery. That bug might be there still.
(Yes, for the record... you did wait an entire 5 weeks for a story about dead things and crackers.)
posted by Jody @ 7:18 AM 
