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Necking
The murder rate among giraffes is very low, a statistical freckle, says older cousin Arch.
On break from fashion school, he dances her to the Philly zoo. It’s a safari, he says, made of tar and cement.
Straight to the giraffes. A female leans over, spotted neck a spring scarf.
High-fashion models of the savanna, Arch says with his best pageant hand. In the wild, this beauty would have males fighting over her.
It’s called necking.
That’s what boys and girls do, she says.
Child, I know what boys do. All that puberty breath.
Arch! Baby cuz, look at me, think like a giraffe.
He pretzels his arms. Necks at war.
Loser goes home, he says. Don’t be fooled. Lion looks at a giraffe, sees a meal. But one kick takes a head clean off.
Now I want to see the lions, she says. Alone.
I’ve seen them all my life, he says. You go. I’ll be right here.
The murder rate among giraffes is very low, just a small statistic, says older cousin Arch.
On break from fashion school, he takes her dancing to the Philadelphia zoo.
It’s like a safari, he says, made of asphalt and concrete.
They go straight to the giraffes. A female giraffe leans over, her spotted neck like a spring scarf.
Arch says they are like high-fashion models of the savanna with a dramatic gesture. In the wild, this beauty would have males fighting over her.
This is called necking.
That’s what boys and girls do, she says.
Child, I know what boys do. All that puberty breath.
Arch!
Baby cousin, look at me, think like a giraffe.
He twists his arms. Necks fighting.
The loser goes home, he says. Don’t be fooled. A lion sees a giraffe as a meal. But one kick can take a head clean off.
Now I want to see the lions, she says. Alone.
I’ve seen them all my life, he says. You go. I’ll stay here.