(Untitled)

[ghazalah]

For Stephen, natural philosophy

On Discovering A ButterflyI found it and I named it, being versed

Comments

[sparowe]

I have this really convoluted idea about Stephen being a butterfly on a pin (read that angsty!poetic if you will, not stupid as my limited vocabulary allows), and this calls it to mind again.

Would that I could actually explain myself.

[ghazalah]

How do you mean? Come on, give it a crack. :-)

[sparowe]

A pinned butterfly... is a delicate creature, preserved and on display. Stephen is a contradiction because he is terribly strong, but so fragile. (My icon sums up at least part of that concept.) And in a way, he is pinned similarly, on display similarly: he is The Doctor, he is... his titles. They're just exteriors, but they're valued. But to preserve a butterfly -- you must first kill it.

I'm still not doing very well, I'm afraid. I don't know that I can do any better in verse back to you, but here's a shot:

"All consuming cirucmstance
could lead to our dysfunction.

I see no life behind your weary eyes
I see the love you struggle to disguise
I see your vital signs begin to slip
Oh, it's much too late for you to aim-
you've already missed."

- Paradise Lost

[ghazalah]

Strong and fragile, yes. But I don't think I agree with "I see no life behind your weary eyes". Even when he was suicidal, in The Mauritius Command, he was so alive. Muted, coiled, but alive.

The disguise, certainly true. But his disguise is what keeps him alive, isn't it?

[sparowe]

It's not a perfect verse, I'll grant you. The follies of using someone else's words. I'd say rather than being literal, it is yet another appearance -- another disguise... except not of his own making.

I very much agree with your statement that even when he was suicidal, he was alive -- burning too vibrant, within the shadows of himself.