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Graphic Literature

Il Maiale: The Pig

By Riccardo Falcinelli
Translated from Italian by Marta Poggi
Falcinelli & Poggi
THE PIG
And so a pig appeared at the doors of Rome

Pig: oink !
The fact itself may sound insignificant

[Newspapers thrown in stack, various headlines visible: Allarme maiale... Pensioni...colossale....Porco...]

The event inexplicably caused widespread consternation and a sense of expectation
Triggered unspeakable desires

Fueled forbidden longing

Signs: VENDESI
lista nozze
To this day , very little is known about the pig
But some have sworn (over their mothers ' very graves )

!

Pig: {Sniff}


that the dimensions of this pig were fantastically enormous

Traffic sign: dalle 7 alle 20
A pig as big as the walls of Rome itself

Person in Car: Holy cow .. !

{SKREEEEEK}

No , even bigger . It was as big as Rome .... the greater metropolitan area

Sign: arrows point straight
Signs: P (parking)

This giant pig . Fallen from the sky
The city was immediately divided

Mail box sign: POSTA
PER IL MAIALE
PER TUTT ALTRE DESTI-


There were those who would have withstood better , beating , and pulverization ... submerged the sacred city in lard ... in order to bring the beast in
And those who only saw evil and warned of impending doom and ghastly plights

Lettering on side of bus: atac SPQP 3522
One lone man stepped forward and said , " I fear the pigs , even when they bear cold cuts . "
At long last the battle was won by zealous advocates of the future
It was quite a tidy operation bringing the pig inside

i - ssa i - ssa i - ssa i - ssa

( and there was much pulling and pushing , harnesses and lifts , huffing , and exertion )
The pig was in and the doors bolted behind it

crowd: {clap dap dap clap clap clap clap clap dap clap dap dap clap clap clap clap}
Then , suddenly , it became terribly clear that no one would be spared

Pig: {suiiii !}
Intermission
The pig grunts as pigs do

Pig: {burp}

Storefront signs: -OTO LAVAGGIO TAPPE-

The mice answer and start coming out

Mouse: {squeek}
They rose up from the sewers in order to watch
Sewer grate: SP.Q-


The pig grunts and the mice squeak , as mice do

Mice: {squeek squeek squeek squee squee}
And then- of course the plague arrives
Goes into the pig and eats it up ( from the inside )
Pig: {Suiiiiiiiii}
Mice: {squee que squee squeek squook squee squeek squeek squeek squeak}


And the pig grunts

And the mice squeak

And the plague fucks the pig up bad

Mice , as we have learned , carry the plague
With all the grunting , squealing , and pestilence , one thing becomes clear :
(Stack of 50 Euro bills)
This is something you can bet on

Building façade with signs: TABACCI - Tetecalcio - BAR
So , some play for the pig ( but the odds are 10 to one )

Others play for the mice ( but the odds are five to one )

TV Screen with 2 choices; MAIALE TOPI

Others play for the plague because he knows its business
The plague wins . It eats the whole pig , bones , brains , hide , and fat

Bookies are always right
And so the mice squeak loudly ( they are applauding )

Mice: {clap dap clap clap clap clap dap clap clap dap dap clap clap clap}

But the plague is still hungry and will eat them up too
So the mice squeak loudly ( they are protesting )

Mice: {squeek squeek squook squeek squeek squeek squeek squeek squeek squeek squeek squeek squeek}
Terrified , they abandon Rome , which then ( rightly ) goes down
Now that the plague has fucked the pig and all the mice have run away , Rome just isn't the same
People hardly ever go out And really only when the undertaker comes calling

Graffiti: MOVIMENTO-POBO COMUNST

( to be continued )

Author’s Note: “The Pig” is an allegorical short story, but its scope is not so restricted as it may seem at first. It would be more correctly defined as a “civil” story, rather than a “political” one. A story of the collapse of reason, it deals with the decay of symbols and the celebration of rotting myths. In this way it is not strictly an Italian story, but one about the worst aspects of mass mentality around the world. In truth, the main character is not the pig itself, who doesn’t do anything during the entire story (except grunt). The main character is the crowd that gives the pig a standing ovation. But of course, applause can be dangerous.

English

Author’s Note: “The Pig” is an allegorical short story, but its scope is not so restricted as it may seem at first. It would be more correctly defined as a “civil” story, rather than a “political” one. A story of the collapse of reason, it deals with the decay of symbols and the celebration of rotting myths. In this way it is not strictly an Italian story, but one about the worst aspects of mass mentality around the world. In truth, the main character is not the pig itself, who doesn’t do anything during the entire story (except grunt). The main character is the crowd that gives the pig a standing ovation. But of course, applause can be dangerous.

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