A Genius for Scapegracery and Gallywagging

One of the most honored professions among jackalopes is cactus hunting, which they call “gallywagging”. There are guilds and apprenticeships and whole clans dedicated to the craft of gallywagging. A jackalope’s concept of cactus hunting might look more like cactus thievery to the outsider. Gallywaggers do not scour the deserts and jungles for wild succulent specimens. Jackalopes have too much reverence for indigenous environments, especially the rough margins where cacti and succulents thrive. Gallywaggers raid the pleasure gardens of the very rich among the Hahnoqqiplu, people they call “rollers” because they are “rolling in it”. People who are possessed of so much material wealth they could roll around in a huge pile of money the same way Jackalopian children roll around in a big pile of fallen leaves. In truth, most of the Hahnoqqiplu look outrageously affluent to jackalopes.

The practice of rolling around in a big pile of leaves is an autumn tradition for jackalope families. They call the tradition “scapegracery”, a celebration of escaping grace, and of course it has its own holiday on October 3, the Scapegracery Frolic. As far as I can tell, today’s GLP comic is Yost’s artistic metaphor for scapegracery, which is also known as escaping the machine.

If you would like to celebrate escaping the machine on October 3, all you need is a large quantity of fallen leaves and a not-too-stony surface to pile them on. Or you might send a card. A good postal service is a wonderful resource. Supporting it is a wise and joyful thing to do.

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