Hi, guys,

In the interests of NOT LOSING THINGS, <sigh> I've created a seperate address
for Avalon Mists.

The address is: avmists@aol.com

When you have a submission for Mists, send it to avmists@aol.com *and* drop
me a note at levamevis@aol.com to let me know it's there. 

For questions, comments, etc., send them to *me* at levamevis@aol.com.
Submissions go to avmists@aol.com

In addition, there is most likely going be a change in format for Mists. I
will let you know what the changes are going to be when I have them ironed
out, but most likely, I am going to simply forward fanfiction and top-ten
lists to all subscribers instead of putting it together as an e-zine. 

I'm interested in any feedback or comments you guys might have. 

I'll update you and send out submission guidelines in a few days.

I'm including a very wonderful and very brief vignette below -- it's all I
really have waiting to be sent out (unless I've forgotten something and feel
free to send an all-caps screaming flame at me if I have) but I don't think
it's fair to keep Batya waiting any longer. 

* * * * *

"Epilogue to HUNTER'S MOON"
-- Batya "The Toon" Levin (bl96@columbia.edu)

EXT: Top of Castle Wyvern, midmorning.  Xanatos is walking about the
towers, looking at the gargoyle statues.  He lays one hand on the
battlements next to Goliath's statue and gazes out at the city for a
moment. Xanatos then glances up at Goliath's face, and sees the smile that
Goliath wore at daybreak. He follows the statue's gaze, looks back over his
shoulder at the castle door through which Elisa would have gone, then back up
at Goliath's stone
grin.

XANATOS:  Well-ll-ll...

He grins, and pats the statue's wing.

XANATOS:  _Some_body's had an interesting night.

He goes toward the door, turns to look around at all the gargoyle statues
again, pausing on Goliath's face again; then chuckles, and goes downstairs
into the castle.


                              THE END
                           [roll credits]


* * * * *


Hi guys -- sorry for the delays, as usual; I've had a very, umm, interesting
week/month/life ... as in the "May you live in interesting times." curse.
*Sigh*  

A few things --

It seems my message on the changes hasn't gone out to everyone on the list,
so here's the fast breakdown:

Please send submissions to avmists@aol.com *not* (NOT!) to levamevis@aol.com.


If you want to talk to *me* send a message to levamevis@aol.com. 

I'm no longer putting stuff together in a 'zine; I am just distributing items
sent to me.

There's more changes forthcoming but you'll get details on that later.

~Leva
levamevis@aol.com

Top Twelve MORE Songs That Could Be In A Musical Version Of 
Gargoyles If Disney Ever Did Anything That Stupid:
Diana R. Flynn
--vhrd53d@prodigy.com


12.	Elisa to Demona: "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." Can you picture it?
  The fight scene in High Noon.  Human Demona (dressed, of course, in 
her traditional impractical warrior garb that would make a barbie 
doll blush) raises her laser rifle.  Elisa glares back at her, and 
all of a sudden, they SING!

11.	Xanatos, Demona, Coldstone, Puck, Titania/Anastasia, Mrs. Diane 
Maza (Elisa's mom), Anansi, Nokkar from Easter Island, Cuchulain's 
dad from Ireland and anyone else I might have missed: The theme to 
StarTrek.

10.	Goliath to Elisa or vice versa: "Wind Beneath My Wings." Hey, I 
had to put in at least ONE corny one! 

9.	Demona: "If I Could Turn Back Time," "...and you'd love me, like 
you used to do." ...but OH no!  You HAD to destroy the Phoenix Gate, 
so now I'll just have to settle for chopping you and your human 
girlfriend into bite-sized pieces.

8.	Any Nethri (for those of you who've read Reality Check in the 
archive) or other inter-universal entity: "Break On Through To The 
Other Side."

7.	Lexington and Xanatos Program from Future Tense: Theme to "Pinky 
and the Brain." 
MR. X: What do you want to do tonight, Lexington?
EVIL LEX: The same thing we do every night: Try to take over the 
world! 

6.	Puck: Anything by They Might Be Giants: "...oh the sun is a 
mass/of incandescent gas..." or maybe "In the spaceship, the silver 
spaceship, the lion takes control..."

5.	Brendon and Margot, the Yuppie Couple: "California," by Luna. "...
Why can't we smile just like we used to?  ...Why has my sympathy now 
turned to malice?  Why do these winged things with big teeth keep 
showing up while we're trying to be held as hostages or get mugged or 
otherwise lead normal lives?  It doesn't matter anymore."

4.	Lex or Brooklyn (about Broadway): "He Ain't Heavy; He's My Brother,
" He ain't heavy, he's just an awkward shape... 

3. 	Elisa: "Isn't It Ironic," - ..it's like meeting the guy of my 
dreams.  ...and then getting shot at by his beautiful ex-girlfriend...


2.	Goliath: ANY song in which some desperate guy begs in vain for his 
girlfriend to come back.

And The Number One Song That Disney Could Use In A Muscial Version Of 
Gargoyles If They Ever Did Anything That Stupid (hint- it's because 
she's probably the only one that could sing and stay in character):

1. 	Angela: "Tomorrow," Ah, the traditional Disney heroine with the 
traditional cheerful, hopeful, inspiring song that makes most people 
just want to vomit, "...the sun'll come out tomorrow, but of course, 
I wouldn't know." 


Top Twelve Things That We Might Like To See On Gargoyles, But Get 
Over It 'Cause We're Not Gonna:

12. Owen singing karioke.

11. Jackal or Hyena making a mistake and installing stapleguns 
instead of lasers.

10. Xanatos or Owen changing dirty diapers.

9. Dr. Sevarious in therapy.
DR. S.: What can I say?  I have a gift for genetics.  Is it so wrong 
to rip apart the lives of a few insignificant people just for my own 
personal kicks?
SHRINK: <Sigh> I have a feeling that we'll be working together for a 
long time.

8. Elisa and Goliath having a "normal life." ELISA: Hi honey, I'm 
back from my shift.  How was patrol?

7. Demona and Macbeth going for marriage counseling.
THERAPIST: For this relationship to work, you're both going to have 
to WANT it to work.
DEMONA: Hmm...  No.  (Rips doctor's head off.)
MACBETH: Again?  Decaf, Demona, decaf.

6. Lexington getting a blind date over the internet.  ...that turns 
out to be a girl gargoyle from the Japanese clan.

5. Elisa drinking tea with Lois Lane and Natalie from Forever Knight 
and discussing the hardships of  overprotective nonhuman boyfriends.

4. The goons beating the living crud out of the Accursed Multicolored 
Ones from Fox. (You know who I'm talking about.  They occupy the same 
time slot as Gargoyles in some areas.)

3. Or better yet, the goons using a life-size Barney doll for target 
practice.

2. Brooklyn and Broadway doing air guitar and singing "Wild Thing."

And The Number One Thing That's No Way Gonna Happen, But We Can Wish 
Can't We?:

1. The Wyrd Sisters in matching chicken suits.


	Top Eleven Things That Would Happen If Lois And Clark Ended Up In 
The Gargoyles' New York:

11. LOIS: Ugh, bad hair day.  I fell off a building.
ELISA: Really?  Me too.  Small world.
LOIS: (Under her breath.) At least you don't have to deal with an 
incredibly stubborn nonhuman boyfriend who doesn't seem to realize 
that you're not going to just stay behind while he goes off to save 
the world.
ELISA: (Chokes on her coffee.)

10. Of course, they'd probably meet when Lois and Elisa fell/were 
pushed off the SAME building.

9. BROOKLYN: <Snicker> Nice tights.
CLARK: Nice kilt.

8. Xanatos would come up with some crazy idea to harness Superman's 
powers and give himself immortality.

7. BROADWAY: I wonder why he always sticks his arm out when he flies? 
 And what's with those tights?  He looks like a reject from a pajama 
mannequin company.

6. Hyena and Jackal would instal kryptonite lasers. (Hmm, but where 
would they fit them in?  Maybe if they took out the coffee machines 
in their right arms...)

5. CLARK TO GOLIATH: You get philosophical once in the while, don't 
you?

4. Lois would think that Dracon was Lex Luther in a really stupid 
disguise.
LOIS: Lex.  I thought you were dead!  ...again!
DRACON AND LEXINGTON: Huh?

3. They'd both start saying "jalapeña."

2. PUCK: And here I thought I was the only one wearing tights.

1. Lois and Elisa would call Toronto to get in touch with Natalie 
from Forever Knight and start a support group for Women With Nonhuman 
Boyfriends.

*****



   *Sentinels* 

Michele Melikalani Raralio
--kauaigrl@ix.netcom.com

A prisoner held captive
To the fears of what this new world held
But with fledgling hope
With understanding and courage
Knit together the torn remnants 
Of the wandering cavalry
To be part of this, an ageless farce
Resounding the spirit of a legend
Bloodstained grounds by batallions trodden
Forever marred by Hell's flames
And a life turned upside-down so sudden
To the heavens a cry of dispair and pain.

Through the healing sands of moonlit time
Swept into the cauldron of eternal life
Another soul comes forth
To open eyes once sheilded from
Multitudes of battles fought
To touch a heart once hidden from
Myriads of wondrs of passed 
For a millenium
Brought into the light of truth 
Undauting guide to hold a hand
And bring from the path with the innocent youth
To protect, to serve, and defend

And from these ashes born
Perhaps to fulfill a destiny lost
Turn towards the frey
Mount up a coat of arms
A swift flying sword of iron forged
A sentinel of myth
With eyes to behold the consuming death
But a heart to embrace the beauty within
For the horizon bright with the sun
Brings the sleep of day to these eyes
And know that you and I are one
In journeys begun
In the visions of a sunrise

* * * *

Ten Really Cool Things About "Gargoyles"
Michele Melikalani Raralio
--kauaigrl@ix.netcom.com

10. It may actually convince people to read "Macbeth" and "A Midsummer 
Night's Dream"  (I know this from experience.)

9.  You now have a reason to keep that hideous antique mirror you have 
stored in the basement.

8. Goliath didn't need good looks, an expensive car, designer clothes, 
or astronomic wealth and power to win Elisa's heart.

7. Like the Energizer Bunny, the plotline just keeps going and going 
and going and going and going and going and going and going and going 
and going...

6.  When it comes to providing voices, at least certain cast members 
have proven to be extraordinarily versatile.

5. The irony in the names of the hero and villain. 

4. It gives a whole new meaning to "hard to manage" hair.

3.  Now you can go out and have fun on Friday afternoons.

2.  Despite the fact your relationships have been rocky, too, you have 
to be glad it hasn't ended in the same way Goliath and Demona's did.

And the coolest thing about "Gargoyles"...

1. No super-long, ultra-complex title that uses illiteration, dorky 
adjectives, or take up the entire screen.


"Ten signs your friend may be one of Oberon's Children"
Michele Melikalani Raralio
--kauaigrl@ix.netcom.com

10.  He shies away every time you break out the flatware.

9.  When he speaks, every other line rhymes.

8.  He owns a quaint little flower shop and uses the motto:  "We 
deliver in 40 minutes of less or your pansies are free!"

7.  When asked to run an errand, he gets a total kick out of completely 
twisting the request around.  Just so long as he has a good time.

6.  He still believes in the tooth fairy.

5.  A really mismatched couple walks by, oblivious to everything but 
their wooing, and he says,  "I can't believe he's at it AGAIN!"

4.  He announces to the English professor that it wasn't Goodfellow's 
fault that pompous windbag king never gave clear orders.

3.  He thinks Tinkerbell is an absolute babe.

2.  Pointy ears, bright clothes, nice tights, the ability to defy 
gravity...dead giveaway.

And the number one sign your friend is one of Oberon's children...

1.  He's never around when something really, really weird is going on.

*Goliath's Lamentation*
Michele Melikalani Raralio
--kauaigrl@ix.netcom.com

Fires of betrayal have long since burned
Left thine heart forever turned
An eternal curse once bestowed
Seeds of anguish be then sowed

Fateful night, O curse`d hour
Midnight stone upon the tower
Thine grieving loss, thine empty life,
Tempest-tossed, relentless strife,

Thine voice from stars, from worlds afar 
(Forget not Bill, Mike, Jon, LeVar) <-- couldn't resist this!
Thine soul from battles fought thus scarred
Alas, spite be the drink to partake,
The blood spilled in a hellish wake

O winge`d beast of fables borne
Thine bosom filled with rage and scorn
For those upon this isle you share
Thou wish'st that they be not there

And thus, my Angel of the Night
Thine wrath be kindled hot and bright
For me, whose heart was once yours true
And alongside long ago once flew

Masqerade down to Central Park
As a human, until falls the dark,
Relinquish thine true mythic face,
Terrify the Human race.

But know you that this flesh be pained
To arise with strength tenfold regained
But consumed by grief and hate you live
Cold, hard, refuse to forgive

And thus our love can be no more
Than shadows of a past long before.
Look'st thee to this token, once to cherish
An angel love now broken, to fade and perish.

~End







10 "Wishful Thinking" Thoughts for "Gargoyles"
-- Michele Raralio
(Michele no longer has an e-mail address.)

10. Lexington uses his computer knowhow to adapt a vocorder program to 
Bronx.  Frank Welker then uses the same voice he provided for that 
dolphin.
BRONX:  Bronx help Goliath...

9.  Elisa and Goliath.  Elisa and Goliath.  Elisa and Goliath.  Elisa 
and Goliath.  Elisa and Goliath.  Oh, wait...

8.  Broadway and Angela.  Take the poor boy out of his misery.

7.  The Mutates all wind up with starring roles in the hit musical 
"Cats."
MAGGIE:  Moonlight/My boyfriend's sister's boyfriend goes out to fight 
crime/He may be unusual/But that's okay, so am I/Memories/Of when I was 
human...

6.  While Xanatos is snoozing, Owen (in the guise of Puck, of course) 
decides to live life on the edge and dips Xanatos' hand into a pan of 
warm water.

5.  Cliche` thought:  Demona, Xanatos, Coldstone, and Puck all get 
beamed aboard the Starship Enterprise.  Maybe take some of the 
Gargoyles with them.  ("Nonsense, Riker.  Gargoyles are merely pieces 
of fine art used in Gothic art.  I will not tolerate this kind of 
behavior.")

4.  The trio go out to see "Ghostbusters."  Afterwards, they get a good 
look at Bronx.
BROOKLYN:  I'm not taking him for a walk. You are!
LEX:  I did it last night!  Broadway, you do it!
BROADWAY:  I'm not going to take him, and you can't make me!
BROOKLYN:  Well, I'm in command and I'm ordering one of you to take 
him!

3.  TRAVIS MARSHALL:  Goliath, you just saved the world from your 
ex-girlfriend's notorious scheming.  What are you going to do next?
GOLIATH:  I'm going to Disneyland!

2.  Poetry Hour, with your host Puck. And today we'll recite a 
delightful little lemerick that is known to have profound effects on 
the entire population.  But that's all right, because we know we're 
just playing!

And the #1 Wishful Thinking idea for Gargoyles...

1.  Alexander's first date.
ALEX:  And you know my billionaire parents.  I really would like t 
introduce you to my good friends Lexington, Broadway, Brooklyn, Angela, 
Goliath, and Hudson...

* * * *

10 More "Wishful Thinking"  Ideas for "Gargoyles"
-- Michele

10.  In a pre-"Future Tense" episode, the Gargoyles go back in time and 
meet this Shakspeare guy they keep hearing about so much.
GOLIATH:  So, Will, I hear you're experiencing writer's block.  Well, 
have I got a whopper for you!

9.  An Elisa and Goliath Episode entitled "The Three Magic Words."

8.  In which Goliath christens Elisa with a dorky term of endearment.
GOLIATH:  My Angel of the...Morning, Noon, and Night.

7.  The trio take Bronx to David Letterman for "Stupid Pet Tricks" 
where they demonstrate their pet's unusual sleeping habits.

6.  Elisa and Demona get to duke it out in the "Melrose Place"  
fashion.  During the day.  As humans.  Without heavy artilliary.  Just 
nails, teeth, high heels, and nice red cars.

5.  Elisa's precinct investigates and evil Xanatos sceme involving 
counterfeit Disney Dollars.  (No idea where THAT came from.)

4.  Or Gargoyles realizing that now all the attention is going to those 
of the :Hunchback" variety.
BROADWAY:  They don't even have legs!  Their eyes don't glow!  And how 
many evil scheeming bad guy plots have they foiled in a two-year 
period?
LEX:  We're nothing but yesterday's news.
BROOKLYN:  Well, guys, looks like we've gotta learn to sing and dance.

3.  Gargoyles:  The Wonder Years.  Characters include a teenage Goliath 
with an awkward body, bigger-than-ususal feet, and a voice that cracks 
constantly;  teeny-bopper Demona who constantly fusses over her 
wardrobe/makeup/social status.  Plots include first date, first kiss, 
Demona stuffing her bra with Kleenex, not to mention her teenage angst 
and rebellion.

2.  Gargoyles prime time.  NYPD Blue: Night Patrol Task Force.  
Interesting inplications, huh?

And another #1 Wishful Thinking Idea for Gargoyles... (I'm watching 
commercials.  Can you tell?)

1.  Elisa:  Goliath, Happy Father's Day!
Goliath:  F...Fa...Father's...Day...?

* * * * *

Wishing You Were Somehow Sane Again
(To the tune of "Wishing You Were Somehow
 Here Again")
-- Xalana@aol.com

GOLIATH (to Demona):

You were once the one I trusted
You were all that mattered
Then you changed and you went bonkers
Now our clan is shattered

Wishing you were somehow sane again
Wishing your brain was clear
Somehow it seemed that in my dreams 
You'd be well up there

Wishing you would talk some sense again
Knowing that you never would
I'd like to know if you could show 
Brains under all that hair

Passing time blasting humans
Isn't what our kind does
Seems for you a perfect hobby
You've got a brain of fuzz

Too many years 
Gathering fear
Makes one wrong in the head

Wishing you were somehow sane again
Knowing that you'll never try
You think that guns bring thrill and fun
To a life that's mundane!

I hope that you'll go see a psychologist
Until then you'll have to eat my fist
Why can't you be sane?

* * * * *

"The Top 10 List of Things I Would Like to See in the '96 Season"
--  Michael Ward
GCB327@aol.com

10.  Some kind of follow-up on Merlin or Nokkar, the alien sentinel.
       (definite possibilities for epic threads, IMO)

 9.  The reappearance of the Phoenix Gate in the hands of a time-
       travelling adult Alexander Xanatos.

 8.  To repay his debt to Goliath, Renard hires a *good* scientist to
      find a cure for Derek and the mutates.

 7.  A cult of gargoyle worshipping fanatical humans forms.  
       (Oh, wait, we already have plenty of those ;) )

 6.  The general public of the world discovering and reacting to the
       existence of gargoyles. 
       (Do they have the same civil rights as humans?)

 5.  A power struggle between the Illuminati and the Fey.

 4.  A concerned government investigating Xanatos' covert use of
      genetics, mysticism, and highly advanced technology.
      (The man has nearly enough resources to take over the nation!)

 3.  Demona finally coming to terms with her anger and leaving Goliath's
     clan alone for the sake of her daughter.

 2.  Xanatos diverting MacBeth's link with Demona to himself, giving 
     MacBeth freedom and Xanatos immortality.

  And the # 1 Thing I Would Like to See in the '96 Season is :

 1.  Dragons !  ('nuff said)

* * * * *

O, What's In a Name?
--Constance Cochran  ccochran@barnard.columbia.edu

     By chance I was flipping through an art history book some
months ago, and the pages fell open to "Stonehenge."  In the
caption, the art historian helpfully indicated that Stonehenge
had been constructed of a type of rock called "bluestone."  The
fact that Elisa Maza's partner Matt is named after the material
of one of the most famous stone monuments in the world may not be
news to some of you, but it caught my attention.  I began to
think about the characters' names and their significance...aside
from the obvious one of having five out of seven gargoyles named
after places on this concrete isle of Manhattan.  
     The image of stone, and of a mace, the weapon Hakon used to
destroy the clan in 994 A.D., recurs more than once in names in
"Gargoyles."  There's the gangster of incredible longevity, Mace
Malone.  There's the etymology of the name of the villain's
father: Petros, in ancient Greek, means "stone."  And oh, the
wonderful, delicious irony of discovering, when I looked it up in
a Spanish-English dictionary just on the off-chance, that "Maza"
in Spanish means "hammer," or "mace."  Elisa Maza, friend to
gargoyles, bears the name of the same instrument that shattered
much of the original Wyvern clan.  It's a wonderful gesture, a
reversal of poetic justice; after being destroyed by a mace, the
gargoyles now have one fighting for them.
     In case any of you are curious, I also looked up "anatos" in
my Greek lexicon (see, I knew that high school and college
Ancient Greek would be useful for something beyond just muddling
through Homer with a vocab list).  It means "unharmed." 
Appropriate enough for David Xanatos, but translate his father's
name into ancient Greek and you get "stone unharmed."
      The Gargoyles are transplanted not only through place and
time, but also from a world where they themselves had no need for
names, and a time when even humans often merely used a title or
the name of their predecessor followed by a number.  Once they
are in twentieth century Manhattan, they are surrounded with
characters who have unique and specific names with loads of
meaning behind them.  Ironically, those meanings are often of
timeless images -- mace, stone, fox, dragon -- or are even
Shakespearian.   
     The process of naming itself is a crucial presence on the
show.  "Nothing's real to you  til you've named it," Hudson
complains to Elisa of human ways, but he takes the name of a
river, a symbol with associations of longevity, wisdom, and
resilience -- much like Hudson himself.  When the gargoyles first
arrive in New York, they choose their own names,  assigning
themselves an identity beyond their personalities and physical
characteristics alone -- in effect, re-creating themselves for
their new world.   Demona gets named three times: Goliath dubs
her his "Angel of the Night," Macbeth names her Demona in honor
of her fighting style, and she names her human self Dominique
Destine.  She has an identity to fit each of those names --
although the reasons for the first have been all but lost.  
     In medieval Scotland, among the gargoyles only Goliath has a
name, probably given him by a human.  But the link between name
and true identity often depends on the point of view.  The
Captain, who both understands and respects the gargoyle ways,
compares Goliath in a positive light to his namesake, as a great
warrior.  But Princess Katherine, who has yet to understand,
identifies the negative association of the name; "You will do
well to remember...that the biblical Goliath was also a bully and
a savage."  In modern day New York, a defiant Goliath declares to
his captor Halcyon Renard in "Outfoxed": "My name is Goliath. 
And I am not a creation.  I belong to no one."  His ownership of
his name no longer seems a hindrance, but a source of pride and
identity -- a trait more common to human society than to
gargoyle.  
     It is a sign of the show's unity, and its literary strength,
that so many characters have a name with a reason behind it.  The
examples I've mentioned here are by no means all of them  -- we
all have our favorite inside joke (Duane and Morwood, anyone?)  I
can no longer hear a character named and just let it go by.  I've
even tried to find some hidden meaning in the words "Owen
Burnett" but haven't come up with anything yet; and maybe that's
the point.  Puck created Owen Burnett to be a bit inocuous.  The
irony is that while his name has nothing to hide, Owen himself
has a fay lurking just beneath the surface.  "Gargoyles" is
satisfying whether you sit back for the ride, or choose to hunt
for the verbal puns, visual quotations, literary allusions, and
double meanings.
     Of course, sometimes, a coincidence is just a coincidence.

* * * * *

"Torn"
Poetry in Free Verse
-- Lexington
<0175wwgh@InforMNs.k12.MN.US>

If anyone has a suggestion for a better title, please send it to me.

They were only games
Until we had to pay.
He said we should
Be thankful
For the punishment.
But how could we
Have known?

Nights came
And nights went.
We all payed our fair share.
The punishments came;
They changed with the moods
And with the game.

We protected them.
They feared us.
We decided to make it
A game.
They sent us down
Into the rookery
Where we were to
Await the dawn.

We felt ashamed.
We tried to protest,
But they sent us in
And closed the door
And left us four
Alone
With our thoughts.

The dawn came.
The dusk came.
But the door remained
Closed.

We waited
Alone
Until the sound
Of his cry
Echoed through
The silent night.
We risked further punishment
We pulled at the door
And left the rookery.

Treachery.  Fire.  Loss.
They were gone.
Only us six remained.
Alone.
Betrayed.

We tried to go on.
He wanted revenge
For those who had died
Betrayed.
And so we went on
But were further betrayed.
Frozen.
Sleeping through the ages.
Waiting.

The castle rose.
The spell lifted
And we again
Awoke.

One thousand years
Had gone
And we were freed
And again betrayed.

But this new life
Which we have been given
Is well worth the discipline
Of a thousand years past--
The punishment
Meant to harm
Has saved our lives;
Has sent us here.

The pain of betrayal
Fades with these
New sights,
New sounds
But never quite goes.
The sun which heals
The wounds of the night
Can never heal
The pain of our loss,
The hurt of deceit.

But here
We have things
We could not have
If none had betrayed;
If none had been betrayed.
I am torn
Between old and new.
Sorrow and joy.
The past...
The present...
The future....

They are gone
And we are here.
He said we'd thank him
For discipline given.
He said
He'd make it up to us.
How could we know
Just what
That day would bring?
Just how
We would thank him?
Just how
He would make it up?

How could we ever
Express gratitude
To those who
Brought us here?
Even those
Who betrayed
But brought this change
Should be given
Recognition
For their part.

My brothers and I
Miss our world
Of days gone by,
But would they return?
I think I would not.
Though torn,
I would choose to stay
If given a chance.

The future here
Holds more
Than war
Famine
Disease
Revolt.

The change
Though difficult
Is not something
I would refuse
If time were turned back.
If we could go back
Before that night
And live it again,
Knowing what lay ahead,
I would not refuse
The spell.

The punishments--
Whether
Deserved
Or
Unnecessary--
Brought us here.

And we cannot
Ever
Go back.







THE JOGGER'S SONG, or There's Something Weird Above Manhattan
(Sung to the tune of "The Phoney King of England" from Disney's "Robin Hood")
by Constance Cochran  ccochran@barnard.columbia.edu

On my run in Central Park I saw
A statue odd and new
It had wings and awesome claws
My tale is strange but true
Looking at the sky next night
My heart began to pound
For winged shapes with fearsome cries
Were up there flying 'round.
The laser blasts were fast and bright, and it was truly quite a fight
Oh, there's something weird above Manhattan
Oh, there's something weird above Manhattan

You'd think my story's over, friend
But there's much more to tell
Beneath the moon, but not at noon
It's like a magic spell.
Explosions and the falling rock
It's been a bit too much
What's going on? I think I'll ask
That cop who's on a crutch.
It's all the fault of that billionaire who built his castle in the air
Oh, there's something weird above Manhattan
Oh, there's something weird above Manhattan

While I try to live my life in peace
I just keep seeing stuff
A dog-like beast stopped traffic east
I've nearly had enough.
I thought that I had seen it all
But that was just the start
As I gaped guess who showed up?
The creature's counterpart.
I might confess all to my shrink, but he might throw me in the clink
Oh, there's something weird above Manhattan
Oh, there's something weird above Manhattan

And if I could recall the night
I can't recall at all
I might stay sane
I could forget the claw marks on the wall.
But nothing can compare to what 
I saw one autumn eve
An armored figure with a sword
He made those muggers grieve.
Moving might be wise although I just can't go until I know
Why there's something weird above Manhattan
Oh, there's something weird above Manhattan

There’s one last verse I’ve not rehearsed
But I must have my say
On another run in Central Park
I thought I saw a fay.
But after all that’s happened here
I took it in my stride
It must have been the water so
I poured it to one side.
Urban dwellers now beware there’s something stirring in the air
Oh, there’s something weird above Manhattan
Oh, there’s something weird above Manhattan