Death and Transchiggeration

[dukealien]

Death and Transchiggeration

Crushed a tiny biting bug
between my fingers -
felt the itch,
saw black pinhead
which disintegrated.
Let her suck her picoliter
in bug heaven from
some willing angel, or
in Hell, a microdemon,
from the forearm
of some hopeless wretch,
not mine.

[Leanne]

I don't actually think we get chiggers in Australia. Yay, one less bitey thing!

What I like most about this is that even though you're extracting your revenge from this tiny creature, you are also benevolently sending it on its way to eternal salvation (or damnation, but presumably even microsuckers have to account for their sins). You are, in fact, acting as a psychopomp. Well done you.

[Erthona]

I really liked the title.


dale

[ellajam]

I really liked the title.


dale

ditto

[RiverNotch]

At first, I thought I would reply with Strauss's "Death and Transfiguration", but then that would be a little too on-the-nose. Besides, this one's much more affecting, at least in my opinion:

Death and Transchiggeration Yep, swell title. Hmm... same basis, though vastly different theme: "Todd und Verklaerung"?

Crushed a tiny biting bug
between my fingers -
felt the itch,
saw black pinhead
which disintegrated.
Let her suck her picoliter
in bug heaven from
some willing angel, or
in Hell, a microdemon, 
from the forearm
of some hopeless wretch,
not mine.
"Let her suck her picoliter in bug heaven from some willing angel, or in Hell, a microdemon, from the forearm of some hopeless wretch, not mine." The sentence reads a little too loopy for me. Maybe just remove the hell lines, to highlight the irony: "[b]in bug heaven from / [/b]
[b]some willing angel, from / [/b]
[b][b]the forearm of some hopeless / [/b][/b]
[b][b][b]wretch -- not mine." [/b][/b][/b]
or even "
in bug heaven from / 
some willing angel, / 
from the forearm / 
of some hopeless wretch -- / 
[b]not mine."[/b]

[dukealien]

At first, I thought I would reply with Strauss's "Death and Transfiguration", but then that would be a little too on-the-nose. Besides, this one's much more affecting, at least in my opinion:

Death and Transchiggeration Yep, swell title. Hmm... same basis, though vastly different theme: "Todd und Verklaerung"?

Crushed a tiny biting bug
between my fingers -
felt the itch,
saw black pinhead
which disintegrated.
Let her suck her picoliter
in bug heaven from
some willing angel, or
in Hell, a microdemon, 
from the forearm
of some hopeless wretch,
not mine.
"Let her suck her picoliter in bug heaven from some willing angel, or in Hell, a microdemon, from the forearm of some hopeless wretch, not mine." The sentence reads a little too loopy for me. Maybe just remove the hell lines, to highlight the irony: "[b]in bug heaven from / 
some willing angel, from / 
the forearm of some hopeless / 
wretch -- not mine." 
or even
"in bug heaven from / 
some willing angel, / 
from the forearm / 
of some hopeless wretch -- / 
not mine."

*sigh*  OK, the title's the best part.  Duly noted.

But abandoning the Hell part would be to evade my role as psychopomp - what's the point of a spirit guide with no alternatives to offer?

Lovely music, listened to it while viewing Blake's "Ghost of a Flea" (surprised none of the erudite respondents mentioned that work).  Makes a suitably disturbing mixed-media impression, IMHO.

@Leanne - "Psychopomp" - useful word, had to look it up.  It does, however, put one in mind of the Master of Robes committing serial murders on his day off.[/b]

[Leanne]

I like the hell thing just because I like the idea that there are good chiggers and bad chiggers, and that some chigger god is offended by chigger sins.