News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Lake Nyos suffocated over 1,700 people in one night by bnjmn on Friday August 12, 2016 @11:27AM (#12276437)
A few years ago I wrote a poem loosely based this event.

I know unsolicited poetry from strangers on the internet is almost always awful, but this poem still holds up for me, which is pretty unusual for anything I've ever written.

So I hope you enjoy it, too:

  NYOS

  You took me in on dusky breath,
  tasted me, tasted nothing,
  gathered by my easy take
  that I was oxygen enough
  for idle inspiration.

  How swiftly my lack became your
  lack; my misgiving, your mistake.
  Your eyes flashed a baffled
  petition as you fell limp in a
  thousand different doorways,

  cribs, embraces, fits and fields,
  yet I pressed after whatever it was
  I thought to find in the lowest
  parts of Cameroon, as foolish in
  love as a gas trapped in a lake.
Re:Lake Nyos suffocated over 1,700 people in one night by zeroer on Friday August 12, 2016 @11:45AM (#12276554)
If it means anything to you, I enjoy being hyper-critical, and shitting on strangers on the internet has a special place in my heart, but that poem is pretty good. I'd read more if you published it.
Re:Lake Nyos suffocated over 1,700 people in one night by bnjmn on Friday August 12, 2016 @03:18PM (#12278083)
Thanks, that does mean a lot to me. I wish I had more to share, but writing poems takes such a long time, and my day job (programming) seems to deplete my motivation for other kinds of writing. But those are just excuses.
Re:Lake Nyos suffocated over 1,700 people in one night by x2398dh1 on Friday August 12, 2016 @11:40AM (#12276521)
I have wondered if the 1986 Ladysmith Black Mambazo / Paul Simon song, "Homeless," is about this tragedy, but I have not been able to find anything online confirming it. The only things I have supporting this are the fact that it came out in 1986 and has the lyrics, "Moonlight sleeping on the midnight lake," and "Strong wind, many dead tonight it could be you." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy3YVyh3mYE
Re:Lake Nyos suffocated over 1,700 people in one night by qq66 on Friday August 12, 2016 @05:34PM (#12278964)
The lyric does fit perfectly but it's not based on Lake Nyos. The Lake Nyos CO2 outgassing was on August 21 and Graceland was released on August 26.
Re:Lake Nyos suffocated over 1,700 people in one night by viewer5 on Friday August 12, 2016 @04:04PM (#12278385)
I love the linebreak between the second and third stanza. It seems like a weird thing to love. But I finish stanza 2 and I'm like "oh no!" then a linebreak comes and I expect something different, but line 1 is the same list but more horrible.

So I enjoy (and am horrified by) the effect that linebreak had.

Thank you for sharing with us. That was horrifying and lovely.

Re:Lake Nyos suffocated over 1,700 people in one night by bnjmn on Friday August 12, 2016 @04:11PM (#12278439)
I'll take "horrifying and lovely" any day!
Re:Lake Nyos suffocated over 1,700 people in one night by digitalarborist on Friday August 12, 2016 @06:52PM (#12279350)
I think it's pretty good :D. I know the apprehension of releasing creative works on the internet as you never know how they will be received. Thanks for putting yourself out there.
Re:Lake Nyos suffocated over 1,700 people in one night by bashinator on Friday August 12, 2016 @06:48PM (#12279327)
If I were to someday[0] use this for lyrics, would that be cool? Anything recorded would have full credit to you of course. PM if you want.

[0] My life is full of half-started projects...

Re:Lake Nyos suffocated over 1,700 people in one night by goodpoem on Friday August 12, 2016 @12:42PM (#12276996)
I really enjoyed that, thank you for sharing.
Re:Lake Nyos suffocated over 1,700 people in one night by bnjmn on Friday August 12, 2016 @03:20PM (#12278097)
you're welcome :)
Re:Lake Nyos suffocated over 1,700 people in one night by akkartik on Friday August 12, 2016 @12:47PM (#12277027)
Re:Lake Nyos suffocated over 1,700 people in one night by maxerickson on Friday August 12, 2016 @05:20PM (#12278887)
Perhaps the comment page ( like https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12276437 ) should somehow show users that have favorited it.