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“The Scorpion’s Touch”

Under glass
the sound cuts out sharp
just like under water
and we run out of breath 
like insects running around 
frantically out of time
we are magnified 
in our tight enclosures

internally observed
the external turns away
two heart beats in the one
a new view of an old star

as if the Sun too bright like time 
could burn a black hole right through us
behind us we fall back into Antares 
the heart of the scorpion strokes our soft shadows 
stinging for some small comforting reassurance
we all kiss our Betelgeuse flashing demons, burning bright 
in the minutiae, investigative, watching curves, 
stroking dreams, we come closer
to intercoursing with each our own intimate secrets,
we are all sucked up in the waves 
of our own importance
lost in the shade of It all, 
the honeymoon period glistening
for a very short while, we are all wed, in one way or another, 
in love with skirts and edges around our sensual wastes; 
3  stars like pearls hang in the mirror they appear the same 
yet they are vastly different – and distant, belonging
to hunter and prey;

the Hunter
sets in the East 
as his great nemesis 
Scorpius rises;

we are much slower than we were yesterday
eternal becomes a questionable debate
as we race each day in-and-out-in-and-out, in circles,
we are oblivious to much of the larger importance 
outside the circumference of ourselves
unobservant of trees and their wedding rings,
that seem to suggest there is no time to hesitate
we are very small insects, serious and unnecessary -
we had thoughts once we were superior - 
above nature, above It all ;

now we are old greyhounds 
at the starting gates
with seconds to midnight
seeking to become 
the brightest star in the constellations
we are great well-rehearsed pretenders
overshadowed by the microsopic answers
which will only be discovered in the vortex of It all;

we think we know It all,
when we are young
we know nothing 
of the Scorpion’s touch,
that elixir of honest poison 
that swiftly bites us to remind us 
before the clock strikes midnight -
that we are still alive, 
yet dying to have it all


Candide Diderot. ‘25 




“It is as if we have all been lowered into an atmosphere of glass.“  
(“The Glass Essay”, Anne Carson)

“Well there are many ways of being held prisoner.
The scorpion takes a light spring and lands on our left knee
as Charlotte concludes, “On herself she had no pity”.
(“The Glass Essay”, Anne Carson)

“An ant mill is an observed phenomenon in which a group of army ants, separated from the main foraging party, lose the pheromone track and begin to follow each other, forming a continuously spinning circle. This circle is also known as a "death spiral" because the ants will eventually die of exhaustion. People can make this happen easily. This is a side effect of the self organizing structure of ant colonies. Each ant only knows to follow the ant in front of it. This will work until something goes wrong and an ant mill forms.”

“Scorpions primarily prey on insects and other invertebrates, but some species hunt vertebrates. They use their pincers to restrain and kill prey, or to prevent their own predation. The venomous sting is used for offense and defense. During courtship, the male and female grasp each other's pincers and dance while he tries to move her onto his sperm packet. All known species give live birth and the female cares for the young as their exoskeletons harden, transporting them on her back. The exoskeleton contains fluorescent chemicals and glows under ultraviolet light.”

“Scorpions glow a vibrant blue-green when exposed to certain wavelengths of ultraviolet light, such as that produced by a black light, due to fluorescent chemicals such as beta-carboline in the cuticle. Accordingly, a hand-held ultraviolet lamp has long been a standard tool for nocturnal field surveys of these animals. Fluorescence occurs as a result of scleroitzation and increases in intensity with each successive instar. This fluorescence may have an active role in the scorpion's ability to detect light.”

“Orion appears as a prominent hourglass of stars with three equally bright stars crossing its midsection. Ancient skywatchers imagined this stellar grouping as a great hunter, with two stars marking his shoulders, two marking his knees and three more stars forming his belt. Fainter stars represent his outstretched shield and club, while a sword hangs from his belt in the form of a hazy patch of light, known to astronomers as the Great Orion Nebula. His head is marked by a rather faint star named Meissa.

The great hunter now descends toward the western horizon after dark, but stargazers will notice that his nemesis, Scorpius, is nowhere to be found. To see it at this time of year, you must rise before the sun and gaze southward. There, not far above the horizon, you’ll easily spot the scorpion’s body and long, curving tail, stinger and claws. The bright reddish-orange star Antares forms the heart of the great arachnid. Amazingly, Scorpius is one of the few star groupings that really does look like its namesake.”

“Nothing else added up,” Goldberg says. “Basically, if there’s no Betelbuddy, then that means there’s something way weirder going on; something impossible to explain with current physics.”
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