Lost in Translation by Khriskin

[khriskin]

TITLE: Lost in Translation
FANDOM: Stargate Atlantis
LENGTH/RAITINGS: 180 words/24 lines (poem), PG
WARNINGS/SPOILERS: None
SUMMARY: (I blame my Silly!Muse for this one.) GT1 runs into a bit of a problem when it appeals to an unknown village for help.

"White is the color of death," she said,
With a tsk in her voice and a tilt to her head.
"What did you think we do, break bread?"
As she locked them away in the dark.

White is for bones and white is for snow.
White is for spirits and Wraith.
White is the bale and the bane of us all,
And black is the color of faith.

Away in the dark they fumed and they railed,
On colors and legends in campfire tales,
Till the moon reemerged from her dark diamond veil,
And showed them the way from the earth.

Black is for luck and black is for night
Black is for shadows and faith.
Black is the blanket that covers us all,
And white is the color of Wraith.

And never again did the strangers come,
Waving their flags of truce,
And never again did the strangers come,
Believing unnatural truths.

White is for bones and white is for snow.
White is for spirits and Wraith.
White is the bale and the bane of us all,
And black is the color of faith.


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Technorati tags: writing | fan fiction | fantasy | stargate atlantis | the unforgotten country | fanfic

Comments

[ceitie.livejournal.com]

Wow. Very cool poem, with a decidedly creepy edge.

[khriskin]

I'm glad you liked it! ^_^ My Silly!Muse started humming at me the last hour or so at work and I had to get it on paper and out of my head! *grin*

[seratonation.livejournal.com]

really good, a nice twist and I can see the story unraveling too, has an edge I'm not sure how to desribe it, but I really liked it. :D

[khriskin]

I'm glad you liked it! ^_^ My Silly!Muse got off on a tangent about how the harbingers of death are white in some tales (owls) and black in others (dogs), and what the natural extrapolation for cultures in the Pegasus galaxy would be... and how 'white hats' are probably the wrong thing to be wearing when you walk into town. It was a very short hop from hats to flags of truce. ^_~ *laughs*

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

oh, nice rhythm.

[khriskin]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it! ^_^

[saphanibaal.livejournal.com]

I am in awe of anyone who can write poetry.

[khriskin]

*grin* Well, taking into consideration the fact that my Silly!Muse is bound and determined to hum the chorus to the tune of 'Over the River and Through the Woods', you might be less impressed. ^_~;;

Glad you liked it! ^_^

[darkrosetiger.livejournal.com]

Ooh, very nice. I love reversing the black=bad white=good trope, and I thought it worked particularly well with the repetition and the rhyming of Wraith/faith. Out of curiosity, is the black a reference to John's uniform?

[losyark.livejournal.com]

This is excellent! The scan of the lines is lyrical and perfect, and I really do love the repitition of what Black and White represent to other cultures.

I went to a play once, a sort of dance amalgamation thing created by an Indian woman about loosing her husband and two daughters in a plane crash, and in the most climatic emotional scene, I didn't understand why is was so heart breaking for her to be forcefully dressed in white robes and gold bracelets until someone whispered to me - "These are the traditional vestments of mourning in her culture. They're physically stuffing her into them."

Thanks again for the great poem! (I always secretly wish that your stories were longer, but this was just right!)

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

This is really cool.

[khriskin]

I'm so glad you liked it! ^_^ My Filk!Muse has had way too much fun in the Stargate sandbox. ^_~;;

I have more at The Unforgotten Country, although I haven't updated in quite a bit. >.<;;

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

I'll have to check that out. :)