I FRY MINE IN BUTTER

Vox Populi 3 Minute Fest, Philadelphia, PA

“I FRY MINE IN BUTTER” is from Kurt Vonnegut’s “Timequake” —

“I instantly laughed like hell.

I was the only person to do so.

A similar incident happened at a performance of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra when I was a kid. It didn't involve me, though, and it wasn't about laughter. There was this piece of music that was getting louder and louder, and that was supposed to stop all of a sudden.

There was this woman in the same row with me, maybe ten seats away. She was talking to a friend during the crescendo, and she had to get louder and louder, too. The music stopped. She shrieked, ‘I FRY MINE IN BUTTER!’ “

I love how human
how obvious
how awkward
how inconsequential
and familiar that moment is. Vonnegut’s ability to amplify the mundane puts tragedy in stark contrast.

In the novel, every soul on the planet has to relive the previous ten years without the free will to change it, yet fully conscious they are sleepwalking in their own lives—counting down the moments until the decade finally ends and they can begin living again.

This reminds me how vital every moment of sadness, heartbreak, fear, and rage is to subsequent feelings of joy, which results from overcoming the past and anticipating the future. There is pleasure in seeking unknown outcomes.

There’s joy in melting away.