Feb 27 2008
Disciples of Paradox
David Memmott’s long poem “Disciples of Paradox” is on Strange Horizons. “Paradox” is dedicated to Stephen J. Hawking,
suspended and wired for half-life
in a wheelchair spaceship
you must have considered
that those who stand on your shoulders
may one day bury your equations
in a painted wooden boat
moored in the sand
where all horizons are defeated
by mirage.
Thanks for posting this, Brian. One of the things that most struck me about Stephen J. Hawking is how such genius has defied all expectation for longevity and has done so while maintaining a brilliant mind trapped in a practically useless body. He seems in some ways to be a precursor of some of the more extreme extropian ideas for space exploration — how we might one day incorporate consciousness into a machine such as a spaceship. Hawking’s wheelchair and the technology/training involved in communication, etc., seem to be not only models for the severely handicapped, but possibly for some kind of technical immortality in space. An example maybe of the most bizarre future possibilities taking shape in the present.
thanks from me too, brian, for posting this. i woke up this morning with a poem writing itself in my head and after transcribing it, i decided to dedicate it to stephen hawking. then i wondered whether any other poets had dedicated their work to stephen hawking, and through your blog found david memmott’s quite brilliant poem!
(waves hello to david) - really a fantastic poem. i’ll be posting my own poem on my blog once i’ve performed it live on the 27th may at sheffield’s premiere open mic night, wordsaloud.org.