Post 1 / Hannah Pulley

Cartoon Physics, part 1

Nick Flynn

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.

from Some Ether, 2000
Graywolf Press, St. Paul, Minn.

The subject of Cartoon Physics, Part 1 is something familiar to all of us: the bending of the rules of the natural word in cartons, often for comedic effect.  While a child realizing these physical impossibilities marks the development of their mind, the speaker takes this even further by implying that this knowledge and understanding marks the transition into the world of adulthood and real consequences. While childhood is a world of play and the feeling of security that comes from total control (lines such as “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”). The lines “She will learn / that if a man runs off the edge of a cliff / he will not fall / until he notices his mistake” bring to mind the thought that soon in our future, uncertainty and the possibility of failure looms; but the dangers of the world outside one’s family should not be known by a child “under, say, ten.”

The poem could have been inspired by and written from the author’s role as a parent or caretaker, and comes from the desire to protect a child from danger, struggle and hurt; there have always been and most likely always be parents and thus the sentiment it conveys is universal. I choose this one not because it spoke to me, because poems rarely speak to me, but because of the way the author’s voice seems solid and present, and speaks about something I feel and understand immediately. It feels like leaning against the wall of a familiar room with your eyes closed. 

Work Cited:
Flynn, Nick. "Cartoon Physics, Part 1." Poetry 180. Library of Congress, 1 Jan. 2000. Web. 12 Sept. 2014. <http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/038.html>.