Redeemed Banana

One flurry, a long, long time ago, God was meeting with his “littles” angels’ class.  The day’s lesson was on bananas.  God showed them a banana.  They all were awe-struck at its form, something like their wings but fuller and narrower.    God then took the banana and right before their eyes He peeled it, each of the four sides coming evenly apart revealing the gently curved, off white center.  What a surprise! They were shocked and began to laugh in utter joy at the beauty if it.  “Okay class,” God said smiling.   These “littles” were so prone to laughing and it gave Him great joy to have invented that also.  Slowly they all quit laughing except for a few giggles coming from the front row where the most “littles” sat, here only because their innocence was so advanced that they could start first grade early.  “Now,” God said smiling, “I want you to take out your tasters because to actually learn about this you are going to have to taste it as well.”  The galaxy was set abuzz with activity as they each scrambled with their tiny wings awkwardly trying to get out their taster.  Tasting was a treat of the highest pleasure, reserved for only the best lessons and not often used in any of the thousands of grades, but today they were being allowed to use this most special of most special inventions.  They all had their tasters in place and just like that they all held a banana.  Each began to peel as they had been shown, some with immediate success, some with the awkwardness of doing something for the first time.  It reminded Him of when He taught them to swing and they tried to get their limbs to work in opposite unison to get them high enough to leap out of the swing and experience wing lift for the first time.  They still bumped and stumbled and often fell, but over the next few flurries (time before the word time was actually needed) they would master flight as they were now mastering peeling.  Each now had their banana open and the galaxy was so loud as each one showed the other how beautiful was the peeled banana and how the peel seemed to be a perfect match for their holding.  Slowly they quieted down, each anticipating the joy of tasting and waiting on God to give them permission.  “OKAY! Go ahead, take a taste and let me know what you think!” God said.  At that moment each of the infinite “littles” took a taste, some a great taster full, some a tentative tidbit off the end and suddenly, across the entire expanse of All, you could have heard a star fall.  God smiled and walked slowly out of the galaxy.  For Him class was over, the lack of sound being His cue that the lesson was a success and he knew for the next few billion flurries there wouldn’t be a sound in this classroom of heaven because they were each lost in wonder—at the taste of a banana.  

So much of what we know we were taught before we knew we were knowing.  Oh, the joy to see and taste a banana for the first time at the age of 61.  Sometimes I think heaven will be having every human experience for the first time with a heart, soul, body, and mind to know that we are experiencing knowing for the first time.  What a hoot heaven will be.

Maurizio Cattelan's Comedian at Art Basel Miami