The Infinite Matrix | Michael Swanwick & Francisco Goya | The Sleep Of

Reason 67

06.19.03

the sleep of reason

by Michael Swanwick

with illustrations by

Francisco JosÉ de Goya y Lucientes

Click image to enlarge

Digital image © copyright

Davison Art Center,

Wesleyan University

DAC permission required

for any other use.

67. [Plate 62]

Dein Kampf

This is your struggle: It's called life.

The way life works is like this: You're born into darkness and chaos, and

you want to be good. But this happens and that happens and the next thing

you know, you're standing butt-naked in a field at midnight worshiping

Satanos Baphomet. But that was just circumstance! You've still got a shot

at salvation.

This is your struggle: You want to do what's right. You want to get

ahead, spiritually. But there's always some raggedy-ass bitch there ahead

of you. Sucking up the karma. Mortifying herself in the service of

humanity while you're still struggling to get out of bed and put your

makeup on. By the time you manage to catch a ride to the slums, there's

nothing worthwhile left.

Mother fucking Teresa! She was the worst. Hogging all the high-profile

poor for herself. Just who the hell does she think she is? The fact that

she's dead makes it even worse. You'll never catch up to her now.

This is your struggle: You'd walk over your grandmother for Jesus. You'd

cap the Buddha dead in the face, if that's what it took. The love of

Allah be upon the Prophet, but he'd better not get in your way. Hitler

only thought he was ruthless!

Because if only one person in this room is going to achieve spiritual

perfection then, goddammit, it's going to be you!

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This is the 67th of 80 stories by Michael Swanwick written to accompany

Francisco Goya's Los Caprichos. For a listing of the most recently

available stories, go to The Sleep of Reason.

Eileen K. Gunn.

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