Deer / George Dance

[George Dance]

Deer

A quiver of wind,
a play of sun,
energy frozen
tensed to run,
a flickering flame
trembling,
an infinitely gentle thing.

Raise the gun,
squeeze,
see my own
blood gush
from the open wound.

---
George Dance

[dave holloway]

This is a interesting poem. Reminds me of that movie 'Powder'

[dav...@gmail.com]

If you're not familiar with the film, the kid the film centers on touch's the dying deer then with his other hand grabs the shooter and transfers the deer's fear into the shooter.

[George Dance]

On Nov 8, 6:41 pm, dav1...@gmail.com wrote:
> If you're not familiar with the film, the kid the film centers on touch's  
> the dying deer then with his other hand grabs the shooter and transfers the  
> deer's fear into the shooter.
>

I wasn't familiar with it, so I looked it up. I was interested in how
well it fit:

<q> Harley, a sheriff's deputy who is hunting with the boys, has shot
a doe which is now dying. Anguished by the animal's death, Powder
touches the deer and Harley, inducing in Harley what the students
assume is a seizure. Harley later reveals that Powder had caused him
to feel the pain and fear of the dying deer, and he cannot bring
himself to wield a gun anymore because of this, although he hates
Powder for doing this to him. </q>

That might not be coincidence. Years ago I read a sf novelette by
Damon Knight, /Rule Golden/, in which an alien tries to infect the
human race with a virus which gives them that kind of empathy: anyone
who killed a person or higher animal would feel the victim's pain; if
he caused death, the pain to him would kill him; etc. It could be a
common source of inspiration.