I had a great time at the Glasgow Worldcon, but the internet in my hotel isn’t great. Plus, it turns out that my travel laptop is on its last legs and extremely slow. So you’ll have to wait a bit longer for my Worldcon report as well as the Hugo winner and Dragon Award finalist commentaries, especially since I’m off to Eurocon in Rotterdam almost directly after Worldcon (I have one and a half days to do laundry and shuffle clothes from one suitcase to another). I’ll post my Eurocon schedule once I’m back at home.
But for now, since I’m at the hotel, waiting for the taxi that will pick me up at 3:45 AM to take me to the airport, enjoy this poem I wrote. Any resemblances to persons living, dead or undead are entirely coincidental.
The Phantom of the Armadillo
There’s a spectre haunting Glasgow,
a spectre by the name of Dave.
You might spot him lurking in hotel bars
and skulking around the Armadillo,
forever on the outside,
longingly gazing,
at all the fun had within.
‘Twas scarcely a year ago,
that he was one of them,
wined and dined and feted
and treated like royalty.
And now he’s a pariah,
shunned and barred from entry
and fated to be cursed out
by women in glamorous hats.
How could this happen?
How could it ever come to this?
After all, it’s not his fault that
those Hugos arrived broken.
And surely no one cares about those stats.
And Nepal, Tibet, who
can tell the difference anyway?
And so the spectre of Dave
continues to haunt Glasgow,
forever trapped on the outside,
looking in, ignored
by those who don’t know him
and cursed by those who do,
his very name a cautionary tale
to scare young fans at the con bar.
“Have you…” the old-timers whisper,
“…heard the story of Dave who
fucked aorund with the Hugos and
found out how long
fandom’s memories can be?”
Cora, thanks for the poem and the wonderful poem. I am not a big poetry enthusiast, but spot on. It was great meeting you in person on panels, which were fun.
Well, some events just call for being immortalised in poetry.
It was lovely meeting you in person as well. Hope to see you again, maybe in Seattle next year.
Wonderful poem!
Thank you.