Sometimes it's the best. Almost like dreaming and surprisingly effortless.
I think it's time, however, based on this lovely illustration by Italian artist Frank Matticchio, to update the alternate animal taxonomy taken from the ancient Chinese encyclopædia entitled the Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge (and offered by Jorges Borges...which presents us with all kinds of intellectual dilemmas about its authenticity as a document or a charming piece of fiction.) Perhaps there should be a new listing for "Those who tell midnight tales."
• Those that belong to the Emperor,
• Embalmed ones,
• Those that are trained,
• Suckling pigs,
• Mermaids,
• fabulous ones,
• Stray dogs,
• Those included in the present classification,
• Those that tremble as if they were mad,
• The innumerable ones,
• Those drawn with a very fine camelhair brush,
• Others,
• Those that have just broken a flower vase,
• Those that from a long way off look like flies.
Or maybe this cheeky listing: "Those that love the camera"
I would also recommend stopping by to visit Laura Ottina's Animalarium blog -- which is filled with amazing animal illustrations and art from around the world.
Midori Snyder is the author of nine books for children and adults, published in English, French, Dutch, and Italian. She won the Mythopoeic Award for The Innamorati, a novel inspired by early Roman myth and the Italian "Commedia dell'Arte" tradition....
