Ozzy had to visit the Central Park Zoo today for science class, so I trailed behind while she filled out her worksheet. We saw penguins, monkeys, snakes and-- best of all-- a polar bear. Did you know that a polar bear's fur is transparent? Like snowflakes, it only appears white because of reflected light. The skin underneath is black.

One of our first stops was in front of the seal tank. A pair of seals swam around and popped out of the water now and then. We made eye contact with them. I wouldn't say the seals looked at us, but they got some sort of optical impression. I turned to Ozzy.

"Seals can see humans but they can't, you know, conceptualize us. Yes?"

Ozzy: "Ya."

Me: "Well what if we are the equivalent of seals for something beyond us, that we can't conceptualize?"

Ozzy: "Yeah, doy. That's God."

Doy, indeed.

As a bag of jellybeans is to fruit, the zoo is to Nature-- a representative sample. There is a rainforest section, an arctic section, simulated lakes and oceans. The world is catalogued and displayed. I had expected to be depressed by zoo-ish themes of confinement and incarceration, but instead I was happy as a clam!

Actually, it all reminded me of a Dickens novel. With his encyclopedic webs of relatives and objects, all of Dickens conveys a certain belief in mastery. Both novel and zoo are optimistic-- also, it is true, childish. But a benevolent regression in each case.

Oh, and one more thing. Near the polar bear habitat was a placard announcing the opportunity to buy the bear's used chew-toys on eBay. The sign had a photograph of a frisbee with bite marks out of it...

Snarp! Sculp!

-Cassidy

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