From stacey@student.msu.eduFri Jun 30 17:55:09 1995
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 1995 15:06:37 -0400 (EDT)
From: Adam C Stacey <stacey@student.msu.edu>
Reply to: b5-creative@shell1.best.com
To: b5-creative@best.com
Subject: B5 Poem

Take this for what it is.  I've been inspired by all the poetry
on the list lately.  It's not a usual form of fan fiction, but
this television series seems extremely conducive to this art form
with all its intrecacies.  I simply looked at the episode guide
and tried to fit the titles of the shows in chronological order
while attempting to translate the season.  Watch for "Coming of
Shadows" once season two is finished.  Please feel free to write
back and stop me whenever you want.  I rattled this off in about
an hour.



                      "SIGNS AND PORTENTS"

                        by Adam C. Stacey


In the beginning, we gathered together to face
  an unknown foe.  We did not know it yet -
but plans within plans had been set in motion
And the shadows that were with us were not our own.

At the turn of the clock
  two forces faced off at the firing line.
One blinked - but did not yield
And old wounds returned

As we struggled to hunt our tortured souls
An infection had been released among us
It spread, bringing its poison to everyone
While the hidden architects watched the disease grow

We met together to better understand one another
Sharing our dreams, our hopes, our aspirations. . .
The great parliament was our last best hope for peace
But only war and chaos prevailed

The fight for peace was waged on all fronts
Some struggled for serenity in their minds
While others shed blood for the cause
And still more prayed for the coming war

The sky was full of so many stars
Each a living, breathing community in space
Sentient beings who tried to avert the inevitable
But death still walked among them

The true believers did not despair!
Their one hope of survival was all they had
Yet they were determined not to lose faith
And win the coming battle by any means necessary

But the galaxy was still young
Too unprepared for what lay ahead
And before we could be united as one
The signs and portens of armageddon were upon us

The Shadows tried for a technical knock out
Striking a quick blow for their new allies
But the victims resisted and without knowing it
Set in motion the seeds of their own destruction

Amidst the turmoil and rage beyond
Many looked inward, away from their fellow brethren
Seeking their own grail of immortality
And trying to shield themselves from the chaos surrounding them

But they could not hide from the evil within
The Shadows moved among us all
We searched for help in every corner
And our eyes revealed treachery in our own ranks

Yet we still possessed the legacies of the past
Voices in the eternal wilderness of space crying out
Reminding us that what was to come had transpired before
And friends from the ages had been victorious

Our best hopes still lay in babylon!
And the emergence of its predecessor
Renewed our faith in its destiny to guide us
To the brave, new future we crawled forward

In the midst of strife
Some showed the true measure of mercy
And the quality inside us that we all shared
Reminded us that we are all part of a greater whole

When we had deluded ourselves that we were safe from harm
New tremors rocked our foundations
Our lives were hurtling towards an unknown future
As the universe entered a chrysalis, never to be the same.


Adam Stacey
stacey@student.msu.edu