It's NOT an REM song about the end of the world, I know that much.

liketitanic — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:22:32 -0800

I'm looking for a poem whose first lines are "When the sun dies there will be eight minutes of light/Not enough time to hoard lemons or bulbs . . . " and it goes on from there. Next line is something like "or let the camera record the slow explosion of a rose." Can't find it anywhere! Ungoogleable. It's driving me nuts! (I heard it a decade ago.)

Magic, incarcerated

MrVisible — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:34:17 -0800

Help me find real-world magic items. I'm looking for real-life items that have strange histories, weird reputations, or just plain creep people out. One example is the pair of pistols made of meteoric iron that made the news recently. Any object which can be viewed as having a magical nature will do, the weirder the better.

Historical curiosities, medical oddities, anything that incites a sense of weirded-out wonder will be considered. Extra special bonus points if the objects existed in North America in 1914.

I realize that this is a very broad question, but I wanted to tap into the vast reservoir of odd and arcane knowledge that MeFites seem to have.

(This is for a role-playing campaign. Do not be alarmed. The premise is that these items are charged with a magical energy, which can be harvested. Quests ensue.)

Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with arcane

It's NOT an REM song about the end of the world, I know that much.

Magic, incarcerated